Swings and roundabouts

In January 2005 there was a tremendous storm and a lot of the west coast was flooded. In Caol some families didn't get back into their homes for 6 months or more. In the following year or two there were reports about what to do, some surveys and quite a lot of nonsense spoken by some local politicians. Apparently flooding comes from the rain, river, the sea and groundwater, in case you didn't know.

Things have started to happen. Surveyors have been out taking levels. At work we were asked if there would be any significant environmental effects. I had to declare a conflict of interest because my house is less likely to flood if flood defences are built. That's all good.

That's all good, but I doubt most people know about it and I've seen people looking at these plastic bands in the last week. I suspect there will be quite a lot in the paper about traffic and consultation. Along here there will be a 2m high steel wall and a all of the trees in this shot will probably be felled. There won't be a view across to the wooded island, and I won't be able to see kingfishers, little grebe, the occasional otter and roe deer crossing the road as I cycle to and from work.

There are going to be steps up and over the wall in sections, so I'll still be able to get across to the island for moths and other wildlife, and probably there will be fewer people going across, camping and leaving all their rubbish.

I've always been impressed by what happens in at least some of the projects like this in the Netherlands, and it's relevant to a job I really want to do. So, I've been thinking about this a lot. A wall like this would be covered in a climbing plant, or something to make it less industrial.

But most of all it will be good not to have to think I wonder if we'll get flooded this year.