What lessons should be learned from summer floods?

[Wobs]

Originally Posted by Gerbil Rebellion

Peat bogs work quite well as a reduction but the change in land use from woodland to open fields is where the greatest problems have arisen and as the EA have only recently been looking at flood plains as a whole in the last few years it is going to take a while to undo the damage of the targeted approach their predecessor used for many decades before that.

The EA have known for some years of the effects of peat bogs, and woodland has on flood prevention.

Other issues include culverts, cutting and ploughing practises, flood defense design. They have known about them, but not always had the power or resources to do much about them. They used to say to certain planning authorities "don't let them build houses there as it will flood", and they were sometimes ignored.

The issue of flood prevention with forest and peat bogs can often be overstated. While they do have some effect, they don't prevent large floods. I'm sure we all agree that all these factors should be considered, and used as a whole, we must remember such measures would not prevent many of the major floods we have seen recently.

The controlled retreat in esturial areas is a fairly recent advancement, as it was only recently proven to have an effect in the uk.

A neighbouring village is having a new housing estate built on two acres of what was pasture adjoining a river which tends to flood even after 24 hours rain. So that is 2 acres of tile and asphalt with no holding capacity instead of grassland.

The imbecility of urban planning committees forcing development on villages with inadequate infrastructure and traffic-saturated roads demands that rural planning committees are set up in their place.

[Mmedo]

If it is indeed at risk of flooding and its application has been processed after december 2006; it must have had a report backing up the application and showing the flood risk has been assessed and addressed (i.e. mitigated on site and not increasing in the catchement). Everything before will have fallen through the net (or the sieve rather)...

[Rog]

Hundreds of thousands of homes could be uninsurable and uninhabitable unless stricter planning controls are introduced, insurers have warned.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) said a third of the three million new homes the government wants to see by 2010 will be built on flood plains.

BBC NEWS | UK | Insurers warn on flood risk homes

[Richard]

Originally Posted by Mmedo

If it is indeed at risk of flooding and its application has been processed after december 2006; it must have had a report backing up the application and showing the flood risk has been assessed and addressed (i.e. mitigated on site and not increasing in the catchement). Everything before will have fallen through the net (or the sieve rather)...

PPG25 Development and Flood Risk was released in 2001 so anything after that date will have had to have a flood risk assessment and mitigation study carried out.

[Wobs]

Local authorities in England gave permission for 13 major developments to go ahead during 2006/07 against EA advice on flood risk. The developments included bungalows, houses, a caravan site, and access roads. Latest figures show that in cases where EA objected on flood risk grounds and where local authorities had advised of the final outcome, 96% were in line with EA advice - up 1% on the pervious year.

[Mmedo]

Originally Posted by Richard

PPG25 Development and Flood Risk was released in 2001 so anything after that date will have had to have a flood risk assessment and mitigation study carried out.

Richard,

the point I was making was simply that since its inception in December 2006, PPS25, which superseded PPG25, has rendered the process of developing within flood zones that much more stringent. Local Planning Authority have to undertake the sequential test for all new dev, the impact of climate change has to be taken in consideration for the lifetime of the development, etc... besides, the 2007 floods have also vindicated the DEFRA and the EA with regards to development and flood risk.
as for the question of surface water flooding, which indeed is responsible for some of the summer's floods, it is beginning to be taken seriously by insurers and risk managers. The fact that it is not (yet) a part of the national flood mapping strategy is just a detail; it will come.
We are beginning to see some satisfying results (property-specific risk rating) - incidentally being verified by some of the extents of the summer's floods -
have a look.
Surface Water Flooding - Ambiental

[Richard]

Originally Posted by Mmedo

We are beginning to see some satisfying results (property-specific risk rating) - incidentally being verified by some of the extents of the summer's floods -
have a look.
Surface Water Flooding - Ambiental

Yeh I know of a few companies that are working on something similar.

[Mmedo]

Originally Posted by Richard

Yeh I know of a few companies that are working on something similar.

What do you make of it?

[Richard]

Originally Posted by Mmedo

What do you make of it?

Yours inparticular or the idea in general?