Vallée resident told to remove bridge over stream to stop flooding

Thursday 27 January 2022

The owner of an access ‘bridge’ which is causing flooding at the top of Vallée des Vaux is to be formally asked to replace it by the Parish of St. Helier.

The concrete bridge over the stream – which gives access to a garage at the valley’s junction with Route du Petit Clos, just south of the Harvest Barn – is deemed to be too low and should be rebuilt using removable grid panels, say Parish officials.

For at least two decades, the road has flooded because the stream running alongside it escapes its channel after heavy rain.

This winter especially, water has poured down the carriageway, which the Parish had tried to divert back using planks held in place by sandbags.

However, some residents have still had difficulty accessing their properties, so have needed  to lay down boards to drive in and out, which they have had to remove when not in use.

Pictured: The matter was discussed at a Roads Committee meeting yesterday.

At a Roads’ Committee meeting on Wednesday, the Parish agreed to authorise one of its officers to contact the owner of the bridge to request their “urgent attention”, with a timescale to respond.

If there was no response, the committee also agreed to support the Constable writing to the Infrastructure Minister, requesting that he use his powers to issue a formal notice under the island’s Drainage Law.

It also approved the building of three gullies to divert water back into the stream, which will cost the parish £7,500; however, the committee recognised that there was still a need for the bridge to be rebuilt.

The Parish also thinks a bridge belonging to another property nearby is also too low but it wants to see the effect of the first bridge’s removal before taking further action.

At the meeting, Vallée des Vaux resident Tony Allchurch, whose property is not one with a bridge, told the committee that he had first raised the problems of flooding with the parish in 2000 and it was still an issue 22 years later. 

He welcomed the Parish’s plan to take action and stressed its importance in keeping the valley a safe and popular place for walkers, cyclists and horse riders.

Although the road is the responsibility of the Parish, the ownership of the stream is less clear.

After research by Parish lawyers, it is likely that it belongs to the Seigneur de Mélèches, one of the island’s ancient fiefdoms.