Plans to build flood storage basin on children’s play area in town centre park

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

A park’s children’s play area is set to be used as a flood overflow area with a ‘storage basin’ created to divert rising water from nearly 300 homes and businesses.

Horwich town centre has a ‘long and repeated history of flooding’ from Pearl Brook, occurring in 1946, 1951, 1964, 1992, 2002, 2004 (three times) and 2012.

Flooding most recently hit the area on Boxing Day 2015, when several properties were affected in Back Emmett Street. Other affected areas from Pearl Brook breaking its banks include Winter Hey Lane and Mason Street areas.

Plans will go before councillors later this week to use Old Station Park, in St John Street, as a flood overflow area. The proposals also includes relocating the current children’s play area elsewhere in the park and refurbishing a multi-use games area, which was previously used as a contractors’ compound for during the construction of the new leisure centre. READ MORE: Green light for bus reform: What does it mean for passengers? Several mature trees will also be lost if the project is approved with council officers stated that there could be ‘biodiversity net loss’.