Improved planning guidance to help councils consider future flood risk
More support to ensure homes are built in low-risk areas with sustainable drainage
It helps communities mitigate the future impact of climate change
New homes will be better protected from flooding following changes to planning guidelines, the government announced today (25 August 2022).
Updated planning guidance published today will help councils ensure developments meet strict criteria in flood risk areas before they are approved, to ensure local communities are not adversely affected as a result.
The measure aims to ensure that developers across England can adapt to the challenges of a changing climate and that new homes are sustainable.
Senior Secretary Greg Clark said:
“We have all seen how floods are becoming very frequent. This new guidance will strengthen councils’ ability to require better flood resilience in new developments.
“Councils will need to demonstrate that the development will be safe from flooding throughout its life, will not increase flood risk elsewhere and where possible will reduce flood risk overall.
“This will help ensure that our homes and neighborhoods are built to last for generations to come.”
Floods Minister Steve Double said:
“As climate change makes extreme weather events like flooding more likely, we must do everything we can to ensure people’s homes and businesses are kept safe.
“This guidance will help ensure that new developments are designed with flood resilience in mind and do not increase flood risk elsewhere.
“This will build on our record investment of £5.2bn to build around 2,000 flood schemes by 2027 and high-level defenses across England.”
Caroline Douglass, Executive Director of Flood and Coastal Risk Management at the Environment Agency, said:
“It is vital that we plan for a changing climate by avoiding unsafe new developments in flood-prone and coastal areas.
“The Environment Agency plays an important role in working with planning authorities to ensure that new development is safe and sustainable.
“The new guidance provides vital advice for planners and developers to encourage the use of more sustainable drainage systems to reduce the risk of surface water flooding, and how to plan for and adapt to coastal change.”
Under changes to planning practice guidance developments, councils will be better placed to implement government policy where new homes in areas at risk of flooding must meet recommended flood resilience standards – for example, using building materials flood resistant or moving plugs. above the walls.
Local areas will also have access to better guidance on how to control surface water runoff, using sustainable drainage systems to improve the region’s water quantity and quality, as well as local biodiversity. The guidance also highlights opportunities that new development can bring to reduce the causes and impacts of flooding through the use of natural flood management techniques.
The new planning guidance is part of the government’s mission to level and regenerate communities by providing sustainable and sustainable homes. It will also support the delivery of the Government’s policy statement on flood and coastal erosion risk management and help achieve our long-term aim of creating a more resilient nation to flood and coastal erosion risk.
