A STORMONT minister had objected to a housing development built with a 'moat' in Co Tyrone that is now facing enforcement action amid flooding fears.
Sinn Féin's Michelle O'Neill had raised concerns that the plans near Coalisland could "further enhance an already severe problem with flooding in the area".
Built in an area prone to floods, the development of 30 houses is surrounded on two sides by a water trench and accessed via a bridge.
Planning permission was granted for the unusual design within a series of measures aimed at reducing the flood risk to neighbouring land and property.
However, planners are now pursuing enforcement proceedings over concerns that all the required flood-prevention measures have not been completed.
The developer has insisted it is awaiting necessary approvals from roads officials to finish the work.
But neighbouring residents fear their homes, which have already suffered flood damage in the past, could be at even greater risk.
Plans for the Moor Park development on Moor Road were approved in 2014 but were first submitted back in 2008.
In that year Mid Ulster MLA Ms O'Neill, who is now health minister, sent an email to planners outlining her concerns.
"The area on which the proposed building works will take place is subject to ongoing flooding," she said.
"The development in the next field, Moor Close, has just been subjected to severe flooding and there is an ongoing issue to try and get this issue sorted out.
"I would have concerns that if this development was to go ahead that there would be problems in the future in relation to flooding for both the new development and that it would further enhance an already severe problem with flooding in the area."
The construction business involved in Moor Park was also behind the flood-hit Moor Close.
Planning permission for Moor Close was granted in 1996 and the applicant was Martin McCloskey of Western Building Systems.
Mr McCloskey is both a director of Western and sister firm Jas Properties, which applied for planning permission for the Moor Park development.
The Moor Road area has been hit with eight floods since 2000, the most recent less than four years ago.
Mid Ulster council said: "Consideration is presently being given by the council on how to progress with enforcement proceedings."
A spokesman for the developer Western Building Systems strongly dismissed flooding concerns over its new development.
He said outstanding flood alleviation measures involve upgrading a culvert at Moor Road, which requires approval from roads officials that has not yet been granted.
TransportNI said it requested further information from the developer back in 2014 to progress the matter but that "to date, no reply has been received".
