Warning of 'flooding risk' over new cricket ground

An action group has warned a new cricket development could cause further flooding in a village in Nottinghamshire.

Broxtowe Borough Council approved plans to build a new permanent ground for Stapleford Cricket Club on land off Pit Lane in Trowell last week.

Stapleford and Trowell Boundary Brook Action Group claim housing developments in the floodplain area had increased the risk of flooding in the village and the new cricket plans will "only make matters worse".

The council said flooding mitigation works had recently started in the area and it was working with relevant bodies to prevent flooding in the future.

Trowell has been flooded several times within the last two decades after Boundary Brook burst its banks during heavy rainfall, causing damage to nearby properties.

The community-led action group, which was formed after flooding in 2019, monitors brook levels, flood risk and has been campaigning for improvements.

In 2023, flooding measures to protect properties were installed through a scheme by the Environment Agency.

Emma-Jane Jones, a member of the action group, said her home in Trowell still flooded in 2023 despite those measures and about 30 homes in the village were also hit by flooding.

"The water in my home bubbled up through the floor. It's horrible. Your house is your safe space.

"I love living here and I love my house but to lose everything you own and see it all piled up outside, it's devastating.

"Some residents were again flooded in 2024 when the houses had just got dry," she said.

Jones, 54, claimed housing developments in the area have added to the problem and caused water to run off and head towards an already high-risk flood area.

"Over the last six years, more and more houses have been built and that's added to our flood risk year on year," she said.

"We do need more houses being built but this area has always been a floodplain."

She said the group was "devastated" to learn about the approval of the cricket development, which includes practice nets and a pavilion.

"We tried to explain to Broxtowe Borough Council why the plans aren't a good idea, and we weren't listened to," she said.

"The land is already saturated and there's nowhere for the water to go the more they build.

"We're not against having a cricket club, but just not on the only piece of land that we've got that may possibly save us in the future."

The council said work will start on the cricket ground in the spring, starting with drainage and flood resilience work.

Seeding and construction of the cricket square and installation of practice nets will follow, with the aim of play commencing in summer 2027.

A borough council spokesperson said: "All the correct processes have been followed both with the recent development of the proposed cricket pitch and historically with regard to other developments.

"The council is actively working with the Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) and other relevant bodies to try and improve this situation in the future.

"The LLFA have recently started work in the area with some flooding mitigation works and are continuing to try and improve the situation in this locality."

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