Flood Risk Assessments

Are you thinking of applying for planning permission for a new development or the change of use of an existing property?

 
Does the Flood Map show that your site may be at risk from flooding? If this is the case, it is likely that we as your local planning authority will ask you to submit a Flood Risk Assessment (FRA) with your planning application.
 
Prior to carrying out such an assessment you are advised to contact the local Environment Agency office at Colden Common (telephone 0870 8506 506) to discuss the scope of the assessment required and also to establish what information may be available.
 
You can access useful information about when an FRA is required and what it should include on the Flood Risk Advice web site (external link).  This information, known as Flood Risk Standing Advice, has been produced by the Environment Agency and describes the likely response to consultations on planning applications, from a flood risk point of view only, based on the following three criteria:
The submission of a Flood Risk Assessment does not automatically mean that your development will be acceptable in terms of the risk of flooding, either to the property itself or to neighbouring properties. Some types of development are particularly vulnerable to flooding and would be unlikely to gain planning permission if proposed in an area where flood risk is very high.
 
 

Background to Flood Risk Standing Advice

The National Planning Policy Framework ( NPPF ) was released in England in March 2012. It contains (paragraphs 100-103) flood risk advice reflecting the increasing importance of managing flood risk through the effective use of the land use planning system. There is also an NPPF Technical Guidance document which contains more details of carrying out development with due regard to flood risk.
 
 

Interpreting the Flood Map for Planning purposes

The NPPF  works on the concept of Flood Zones, which are the mapping constraint that must be used when considering new development in England. The two flood extents that you can see on the Flood Map are the same as Flood Zones 2 and 3A, as defined in the NPPF Technical Guidance.
 
The dark blue shaded area representing Flooding from rivers or sea without defences is the same as Flood Zone 3A (0.5% probablity for coast flooding, 1% for river flooding).
 
The light blue shaded area representing the Extent of Extreme Flood is the same as Flood Zone 2 (0.01% probability for coast and river flooding).
 
Flood Zone 3B (land that would flood with an annual probability of 1 in 20 (5 per cent) or greater in any year, or is designed to flood in an extreme (0.1 per cent) flood) is not currently separately indicated on the Flood Map.
 
The Flood Map is a multi-layered awareness-raising tool and is not accurate to the level of individual properties, and is regularly updated in light of new information.
 
WARNING:
Flood Map layers showing Flood defences and Areas benefiting from flood defences should not be taken to imply that proposed new development in these areas is acceptable. Data on the likelihood of flooding at any given location, accessed via the 'learn more' button, should not be used as the sole source of information for planning purposes.
 

Further information

Direct Gov UK
Havant Borough Council, Civic Centre Road, Havant, Hampshire PO9 2AX