I write in response to John Foley’s suggestion of a park and ride site at Patcham Court Farm (Letters, February 14).
Following the construction of waterworks in Patcham in the late 1800s, a main horizontal entrance tunnel was driven east until it terminated 1.52km from the station at a fissure under Tegdown Hill.
During construction the tunnel also intersected a dissolution feature situated under Ewebottom Hill. A report indicated that this produced a significant increase in yield from the well.
Since this feature tracks north/south, it directly connects Patcham Court Farm with the water supply and provides a short circuit for potential contamination.
As a result, a park and ride scheme posed an unacceptable risk to the supply and was one reason why the plan failed.
Likewise, the site at Ewe Bottom, just to the east of this dissolution feature at the northern end of Horsdean beyond the A27 bypass, also posed such a level of risk.
It has been known since the 19th century and corroborated by more recent research that the well at Patcham can be contaminated within 24 hours of heavy rainfall.
With warnings regarding the need to conserve drinking water, is it really the wisest thing to risk contaminating part of the city’s water network?
The loss of such an important resource would impinge upon the whole population, not just the residents of Patcham.
The best use of these sites would be to use the land for recreational purposes.
James Rhodes, Larkfield Way, Brighton
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