The problem of flooding at a holiday caravan park near Maidstone must be addressed, because vulnerable and elderly residents' lives were at risk, councillors were warned.

At least 16 elderly and disabled people were among the residents who had to be evacuated overnight on inflatable boats from the Little Venice Country Park in Yalding when it flooded in March.

Three months ago, County Cllr Harry Rayner (Con) asked Kent County Council's flood risk management committee to investigate the possibility of either KCC or Maidstone council purchasing the site, if necessary through a compulsory purchase order, so that it could bring to an end the licences and permits for people to live there "as soon as was reasonable."

Cllr Rayner was unhappy when the committee met again on Monday to be told by chairman Cllr Tony Hills (Con) that legal advice separately obtained by both KCC and MBC was that compulsory purchase was "incapable of being successfully pursued."

Cllr Rayner said: "That's a killer statement that stops everything dead. But why would it be unsuccessful?"

He said without information the decision just sounded "totalitarian."

He wanted to know if it was a legal argument or a financial one.

As no information was available to the meeting, Cllr Hills said he would get the answer and circulate it.

Cllr Rayner said: "It is clear to me that people are being moved onto the park under false pretences. We need to shine a light on this."

He pointed out that when the elderly and disabled people had to be evacuated and housed in hotels, the cost fell on Maidstone council.

He said: "The public purse is paying to subsidise elderly and vulnerable people to live on a site that is clearly unsustainable for them."

The 50-acre park in Hampstead Lane had been prone to a growing number of flooding incidents from 2013 to 2020 and according to the committee report was expected to flood to some degree every year - it was just a question of how extensive the flooding was.

Cllr Hills (Con) described the situation as "pretty serious."

The committee heard there had been "significant problems" with the emergency evacuation in March, because some residents had been "complacent" about the risks to their homes.

Maidstone borough councillor Derek Mortimer (Lib Dem) described the state of affairs as "extremely worrying."

County Cllr Ian Chittenden (Lib Dem) called for major cash injection to improve the Yalding flood defences. He said: "I urge KCC, the government and the Environment Agency to have a good look at this.

"This issue is not going to go away and the people down there are going to have problems time and time again."

The debate came two months after a select group of flood specialists and council officials took part in a "virtual" site visit of Little Venice on September 23.

Attendees included representatives from the Environment Agency, Kent Fire and Rescue, KCC, Maidstone Borough Council and Yalding Parish Council.

Measures to improve the health and safety of residents living on the site were discussed. Pledges have been made to train more flood wardens.

Gauge boards have already been installed in Yalding to measure the water height at Hampstead Lane, while a new more specific flood warning system is now in place.

Cllr Hills at first recommended the committee should receive a progress report from officers within the next calendar year.

That was challenged by Cllr Rayner who said that could be as late as December 2021 - nearly 14 months away. He said: "We will look complacent. Lives are at risk here."

The committee settled on a compromise date for the update report to be made by July 25, 2021, - a mere eight months away.

Little Venice Country Park's owner Albert Lee was contacted after the meeting but declined to comment.

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