Do I Need A Flood Risk Assessment For A Major Development?
Navigating the complexities of flood risk management is critical for any major development.
Whether you’re planning a residential project with ten or more dwellings or a non-residential site exceeding 1,000 square meters, ensuring compliance with flood risk regulations is a key step in securing planning approval.
A well-prepared Flood Risk Assessment (FRA) is not only a mandatory requirement under the National Planning Policy Framework and Environment Agency guidelines but also an essential tool for identifying environmental constraints and mitigating potential flood risks.
This article will explore the specific requirements for Flood Risk Assessments for major developments, including what constitutes a major development, why an FRA is necessary, and how a well-executed assessment can support planning success.
What Is A Major Development?
For the purposes of assessing flood risk and water management, the definition of a Major Development is split between residential and non-residential uses.
A residential Major Development contains either ten or more dwellings or a development on a site of 0.5 hectares or more.
A non-residential Major Development consists of either a development of 1,000 square metres or more or the development sits on a site of over 1 hectare.
Due to the size of the development, either in the number of dwellings proposed or the site area, two documents pertaining to water are always required in planning: a Flood Risk Assessment and a Drainage Strategy.
What Flood Risk Assessment Do I Need For A Major Application Development?
A Flood Risk Assessment for a Major Development Application needs to assess the environmental constraints of the site against what is being proposed.
Good data further needs to be provided.
A flood risk assessment using good data allows for better decision-making and sometimes saves time and money on a project.
A Flood Risk Assessment should always be written by a competent Flood Risk Consultant who can best advise how the development could be impacted by flooding and whether it could cause flood risk elsewhere.
Essentially, is the design or layout of the development policy compliant?
A competent Flood Risk Consultant can advise whether design changes or additional mitigation is going to be required to make the development suitable for planning.
Major developments in flood risk zones could cause flood issues in several ways.
Either the development itself could have a high risk of hazards associated with potential flooding (for instance, flood damage in residential buildings or being trapped in a building surrounded by flood water), or as a result of the development, flooding could be pushed offsite (displacement), causing a change in the flood risk of neighbouring properties/premises.
Similarly, it is essential to check whether the proposed Major Development is being built in an appropriate location for its intended use.
This is one of the main requirements of the Exception Test and Sequential Test, which are required when writing a National Planning Policy Framework-compliant Flood Risk Assessment.
Major developments consist of 10+ residential units and non-residential developments of 1000 square metres, and the amount of land required to support these developments is great.
Greater land coverage increases the risk that the land/site could be susceptible to flooding.
Therefore, engaging with a Flood Risk Consultant who understands the National Planning Policy Framework, Planning Practice Guidance and Environment Agency advice on development and flood risk is recommended.
By working with a competent flood risk consultant, they can use their previous project experience to assess the flood risk-affected areas of the site whilst also advising how to make the development more likely to be approved at planning with a flood risk assessment.
How Can Aegaea Support Your Flood Risk Assessment?
At Aegaea, all our staff have experience working with developments of all sizes.
Our team of experts can work with you through the production of the Flood Risk Assessment on how the development could be best arranged to make it more acceptable to the Sequential Test and Exception Test.
It is important to note that our team do not require the master plan to be finalised to be able to support your enquiry. If anything, we prefer to be involved in a project as early as possible to better advise on a site’s development potential.
As a result of our experience, we can review brownfield and greenfield sites and work with you to advise you on what possible constraints could exist with a focus on flood risk and developing a site.
We find that this can benefit a project early on, especially in achieving a successful outcome in planning.
Our team can advise on what mitigation measures could be required to mitigate flood risk to the proposed development
while also advising early on in a project whether certain parts of the development would not be acceptable.
Providing this level of advice early in the Flood Risk Assessment process can reduce time spent on the planning application and other services.
Each project is unique, so a bespoke Flood Risk Assessment is required to be more acceptable in planning.
We are here to help you produce a functioning, viable development that is safe for occupation and responsibly acknowledges the onsite flooding risk.
You can visit our Flood Risk Assessment page to learn more about what they are or contact us to discuss how we can help you further.
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Aegaea work alongside home owners, private developers, planning consultants, architects, local authorities, international development agencies and contractors. Aegaea know exactly how to help you.