The Met Office published UK climate projections in November last year, showing winter precipitation in the future could increase by up to 35%. The government says the threat of flooding could result in people being moved to new areas.
Indeed, we can find a local example – in plans to relocate a primary school to a site downhill from Straitgate Farm. Tipton St John Primary School is set to move to a new site in Ottery St Mary after repeated flooding. The school has about 90 pupils, and has been in the nearby village of Tipton for more than 200 years. As DevonLive reports "Farm site to be sold off so primary school on 'risk to life' floodplain can relocate":
Tipton St John Primary School is set to move to a new site in Ottery St Mary after repeated flooding at the sitehttps://t.co/O1H3qzYF7W— Express & Echo (@ExpressandEcho) January 2, 2019
The school is set to more than double in size – to 210 pupils – and would accommodate children from Tipton St John but also meet the need for additional school places for children from the new developments in Ottery St Mary which cannot be met at the existing schools which are at capacity.
The proposed new site, west of The King’s School, is allocated for community and educational use in the East Devon Local Plan. In December, DCC's Farms Estate Committee said:
6.5 The current primary school at Tipton St John is in a high flood risk zone and has been identified by the Environment Agency as a potential ‘risk to life’. The County Council has undertaken a feasibility study to relocate the Tipton St John primary school and part Thorne Farm has been identified as the only viable site.
6.6 There is currently a substantial funding gap between the capital available for the replacement school build and the forecast cost of actually building the school. To enable the new school to be built the County Council will need to raise a significant additional capital receipt. The County Council is thus in early discussions with East Devon District Council over a potential outline planning application for the new school and a housing development on Thorne Farm.
Another school and further housing development would put even more traffic on the B3174, past any future quarry entrance at Straitgate Farm. The new primary school would also be within range of PM10 and PM2.5 dust emissions from any sand and gravel extraction at Straitgate.
