THE council has turned down a plan to build extra caravan pitches next to the river Severn over fears it would flood.

A plan was put forward which could have seen up to 20 caravan pitches, including 12 which could be used year-round and eight seasonally, built at the Severn Motor Yacht Club next to River Severn between Worcester and Kempsey.

Malvern Hills District Council has rejected the planning application saying it had not been proven that the riverside site would not flood.

Council planners said there were “a number of inaccuracies and inadequacies” in the application and flood risk assessments used by the yacht club.

The Environment Agency had criticised the plan for downplaying whether the land would flood and disagreed the caravan site would be in a ‘zone’ with a lesser chance of going underwater.

Severn Motor Yacht Club disputed flood mapping and data used by the Environment Agency – calling it “inaccurate” – and maintained the land proposed for the extended caravan site, which is 20 metres from the river, has never flooded.

A flood risk assessment accompanying the planning application by Severn Motor Yacht Club showed that the site would be in flood zone one – which has a less than 0.1 per cent chance of flooding in any year – which the Environment Agency disputed.

The Environment Agency maintained the site, off the A38 on the edge of Worcester, was in ‘flood zone two’ – and at greater risk of flooding – and said the plans by the boat club “omitted key information” and contained “several erroneous statements.”

“The site is at risk of flooding from the River Severn, and historic flooding has occurred on numerous occasions,” a response sent to planners at Malvern Hills District Council said.

“We consider that the proposals are classed as major development, and as such would require detailed hydraulic modelling to be undertaken to establish the appropriate climate change uplift of peak river flow levels.

“No such assessment has been included … and it is therefore not possible to establish the ‘design flood level’ to inform the setting of floor levels, safe access and egress and a flood warning and evacuation plan.”