Operation Watershed

Crawley Down’s King George’s field is set to have a drier winter this year thanks to the completion of a new drainage scheme. After years of struggling to ease flooding in the north-west corner local residents came up with a scheme to remedy the situation. WPC has helped to facilitate the plan via liaison with Mid Sussex District Council (MSDC) and West Sussex County Council (WSCC), with Ordinary Watercourse Consent granted in 2025. In January 2025, the owners approached Worth Parish Council for assistance in securing funding for the estimated £100,000 project, and with our help a funding application and tender for the works were submitted. The process proved challenging, with two contractors declining to quote, prompting the need for an additional contract to provide a design warranty.

Construction was completed in May 2026 as per the plans, albeit with two minor deviations of the watercourse. Ongoing consultations with affected homeowners were an important part of the project, and it’s felt that this engagement helped to keep all stakeholders informed and updated.

Overall, the project has helped to underline the importance of Worth Parish Council maintaining a commitment to address local flooding issues while at the same time maximising the utilisation of external funding sources.

In terms of finance, the project was completed within budget, with all direct costs funded by Operation Watershed.

In the future, the continuous watercourse from King George V Field to the drain at Sandy Lane will help to reduce flooding the Field itself and mitigate the possibility of damage to local properties. It’s also worth noting that Worth Parish Council has gained valuable experience in future project planning and in stakeholder engagement.

The successful completion of the scheme owes a great deal to the proactive, helpful involvement of local residents, who were aware of their riparian responsibilities, which specify that If a watercourse runs along the boundary of a property’s land, the owner is usually responsible for it up to the centre line.

Councillor Liz Williams said “the flooding in the field has been a nuisance to residents, young footballers and other users of the recreation facility for years. Solving it has not been easy. It’s great that WPC has been able to help facilitate the project and enable the residents’ suggestions to become a reality. Special mention goes to WPC Chief Officer Leanne Bannister, who has skilfully collated all the paperwork and grant funding required overcoming paperwork bottlenecks at both WSCC and MSDC.