FEARS have been raised that plans to build a dam in Mid-Essex will cause flooding in Ingatestone.
There is growing concern that proposals to erect a dam across the River Wid valley to stop Chelmsford from flooding will lead to floods in the village.
Members of Ingatestone Parish Council believe that farmland, footpaths, woods, roads, bridleways and the Grade II-listed Stock Lane bridge upstream of the dam, which would be built in Margaretting, will be subjected to greater amounts of flooding following heavy spells of rain.
Parish council vice-chairman David Abrey said: "One man's flood alleviation scheme is another man's flood.
"It will have an impact on Stock Lane and we have concerns about the impact flooding may have on the sewerage works."
The seven-metre high dam will stretch 520 metres across the Wid Valley to the north of the St Peter's Way long-distance footpath.
Ingatestone resident Robert Fletcher said: "I don't think the dam will produce any problems for the area around it but you also have to be realistic about the situation.
"You can't just live in one place and not give a damn about anywhere else around you, especially if you expect that climate change will cause increased rainfall.
"I am part of the angling club that fishes that part of the Wid.
"We would have liked to be consulted.
"We have intimate knowledge of the area but we weren't consulted by the parish council."
The £9 million plan from the Environment Agency would allow part of the Wid Valley to flood and the barriers would stop 500 million gallons of water cascading down the Wid, into the River Can, which runs through Chelmsford's Central Park, and then into the River Chelmer.
Len Whittaker, who has lived in Ingatestone since 1968, said: "It seems to me that people in Ingatestone are having to toe the line so that Chelmsford can be developed.
"I don't know how far the water will back up but we haven't been consulted on this and I think we should have been.
Tony Sleep, Brentwood Borough Council's environment panel chairman, said: "I don't think the water will back up nearly as far as people think.
"This has to be a good thing. It is a flood protection scheme. The flood plain in Chelmsford is no longer adequate for the city.
"The right answer is to put in sluices to adequately control the flow of flood water so Chelmsford can be protected.
"The only concern we do have is if flood water could be contaminated from water from the sewage works."
An Environment Agency spokesman said: "Proactive action to secure new defences is essential to reduce the risk of future flooding.
"The flood alleviation scheme will reduce the flood risk in central Chelmsford to 548 residential properties and 235 businesses.
"As part of the planning application, a flood risk assessment has been submitted to Chelmsford City Council which provided technical details on the operation of the flood storage area.
"The flood modelling predicted that the flood storage area will not result in an increase in water levels at Stock Lane, Ingatestone – even in a flood so large that it could be expected only once in a century.
"However, there may be an increase in the duration of flooding at Stock Lane from one day to one-and-a-half days for such a large flood.
"As part of the application, we consulted with Anglian Water regarding the potential impact that the scheme may have on the sewage works.
"They confirmed that the predicted increase is not sufficient to significantly alter their operating risks, in both flood level and duration."
The planning application is still being considered.