Cavendish Park Drainage

Much-loved Cavendish Park is facing a huge bill of £175,000 to fix its drainage problems — all because United Utilities (UU) has refused to let the Council connect to the local drainage network. After requests from the Didsbury Liberal Democrats, and a site visit led by Councillors Richard Kilpatrick and John Leech, the Council created a report exploring ways to fix the park. The report suggests three possible — but expensive — solutions. These include a Garden Rainwater Retention System, French drains or soakaways, or creating a swale or ponding area to help manage the water. Each option would cost between £150,000 and £175,000. The reason these costly alternatives are being suggested is because, as the report says, “United Utilities has a policy not to accept land drainage from open land.” This is despite United Utilities regularly releasing millions of litres of raw sewage into rivers and lakes — including the River Mersey. Sign our petition to get UU to change their mind!