"We want somebody to promise to take us out of this miserable situation" Compulsory Purchase Order – first of its kind to take place in England – proposed for Chesterfield homes
A Compulsory Purchase Order – which would be the first of its kind to take place in England – has been proposed for homes at Tapton Terrace in Chesterfield.
The Chief Executive of the Government’s Environment Agency Philip Duffy visited Tapton Terrace at the end of January to speak to residents about what could be done to alleviate the ‘danger to life’ on their flood-hit street.
This comes after resident Maureen Gilbert, 83, died fter flood water burst into her Tapton Terrace home during Storm Babet in October 2023.
A coroners prevention of future deaths report issued in November last year following an inquest into the death of Mrs Gilbert, has concluded that residents were under an ‘ongoing’ threat to life and called for action.
After speaking to the Chesterfield MP and residents, Mr Duffy promised to look into carrying out a Compulsory Purchase Order – a legal mechanism which would allow authorities to buy all houses at the flood-hit street and pay out compensation for residents, who could move somewhere safer.
Lisa Thomspon, who lives at Tapton Terrace with her partner Simon Bell, has welcomed the proposal.
She said: “We think that the compulsory purchase is the only answer to protect us.
"We had a flood warning in November and it was horrendous because of the danger of death.
"We had fire officers and police banging at the door. It was so anxiety provoking.
"We were basically evacuated out, asked either to leave or go upstairs. We spent four hours moving everything upstairs.
"And we need that because there is a danger of death, but it heightens the stress, it brings it all back and it reminds you how serious the risk is.”
After floods caused by Storm Babet, Lisa and her partner Simon Ball were forced to leave their house for 14 months and were forced to move 10 times between temporary accommodation.
She added: “The stress of sitting there, waiting for the flood to happen is worse than it happening sometimes.
"In November we got a hotel in Rotherham for a night because we couldn’t handle the stress.
"The thought of moving out for 14 months is stressful enough you don't want that hanging over your head. And that's even without thinking about somebody dying.
"Your mind is going to the worst case scenario, because that's what's happened before. You think it will be horrendous again”
While residents welcomed the proposal, they called for reassurance that action would actually be taken.
Lisa explained: "The proposal gave me a bit of hope, but I am also nervous about getting hopeful, because nothing has ever been definite.
"So many proposals have been banded about, but how much longer is it going to be talked about before somebody is going to actually do something?
"At the meeting last year, there was talk about doing another report on Tapton Terrace, see if there was something that could be done with the bridge.
"But we had reports done before and in fact even if they did something with the bridge, it wouldn't 100% alleviate the risk and it could take two years to be done.
"We want assurances, and we want somebody to actually speak up and promise something to take us out of this miserable situation.
“We wan to know if the compulsory purchase is going to definitely go ahead because nothing's ever been put in writing. We've had no assurances.
"It's shocking. Nobody can believe that they've not done anything since our neighbour has died and we are in the same position as in 2023.
“The situation isn't going to change and any delays are putting us at further risk.”
Mr Perkins said: “I am very grateful to the Chief Executive of the Government’s Environment Agency, Philip Duffy, who visited Chesterfield to meet with me and local Environment Agency bosses to discuss the unique challenges that make Tapton Terrace so prone to flooding and so dangerous and also to learn more about the flood risk across Chesterfield more broadly.
"He also took time to meet with a local resident and a business owner affected by flooding. I was encouraged by Mr Duffy’s resolve to expedite investigations and his agreement that the proposal for a Compulsory purchase order should be pursued with urgency. However, a compulsory purchase order of this sort hasn’t been done in England before, although there was similar action taken in Wales to purchase properties that could not be protected from flooding and so I will be working to get everyone needed in the room to progress how this can happen, what sort of compensation would be paid and how tenants rendered homeless would be rehoused.
“The Environment Agency have also said they will be speaking to the Welsh authorities regarding how this was achieved.
“A CPO will take multi-agency approach and a great deal of planning.
“I have requested in writing a plan of actions from the Environment Agency and will share this with residents as soon as we have it. The EA are also in direct contact with residents and will be providing updates. I am sorry that I cannot provide anything concrete at the moment but please be assured that this is top of my priorities, and I will be pursuing every possible route to achieve it, and to help Tapton Terrace’s residents to secure compensation and safe accommodation.”