Delivering fl flood risk betterment through the planning system - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Delivering fl flood risk betterment through the planning system

Laura Kitson – Environment Agency

OVERVIEW

• The Great Ouse catchment and the challenge of growth
• Responding to the challenge of growth: turning around two

assumptions:

• Flood risk management as an enabler of growth, not a barrier
• Development as an opportunity to reduce flood risk, rather than

increase it

RIVER GREAT OUSE CATCHMENT

SCALE OF GROWTH

GROWTH PROGRAMMES BEYOND THE CATCHMENT…

The Cambridge - Milton Keynes - Oxford growth represents huge potential for growth

• ver the coming decades.

Roads 1 Million new homes Described as the ‘brain belt’ or the ‘UK’s Silicon Valley’, the corridor benefits from productive and fast growing cities, a highly skilled labour force and cutting- edge research facilities and technology clusters. Rail

… SUPPORTING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

STRATEGIC IN INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING

• Growth corridor crosses

two major catchments – Thames and Great Ouse

• Similarities and

differences across the catchments

• Working to identify

strategic infrastructure needs across both catchments

FLOOD MANAGEMENT AS IN INFRASTRUCTURE IN INVESTMENT

• Highly favourable return compared to other sectors
• £1 of flood risk funding brings on average £8 of benefits for capital activity and up

to £30 of betterment through flood risk regulation and planning activities

• DCLG (Local Government)– 1:2 or over is ‘high value for money’
• DFT (Transport) – 1:4 or over is ‘very high’ in their value for money

categorisation

• The RAC have reported that
• Road Schemes return 1:4 – 1:5
• Rail Schemes return 1:2 – 1:3
• Local public transport returns 1:1.7

USING EXISTING RESOURCES TO RESPOND TO GROWTH

Working with Local Authority members Advocating strategic use

• f Local Levy

to prepare for the growth agenda

PLANNING POLICY – NPPF

PLANNING POLICY - NPPG

CREATING CAPACITY IN IN LLFAs

• Gained statutory

consultee role for surface water flood risk in 2015

• Significant workload

from statutory responsibilities

• Basic requirement is to

ensure no increase in flood risk

• Limited capacity for

seeking betterment

Cambridgeshire LLFA consultations by month

STRATEGIC FLOOD RIS ISK PLANNING ADVISOR ROLE

• Achieving betterment, not just no

net increase in flood risk

• Creating capacity for LLFAs
• Enabling a catchment wide

approach

• Cross boundary thinking and

projects

• Sharing best practice on common

challenges Development sites Local plans and policy Training

SUMMARY

Two key approaches to delivering flood risk betterment through the planning system

• Flood risk management as an enabler of growth, not a barrier
• Development as an opportunity to reduce flood risk, rather than increase it

What are we doing across the catchment to make this a reality?

• Catchment scale infrastructure planning
• Planning flood management infrastructure in from the very start
• Engaging with the planning system
• Partnership working across the water management sector