Planning ...
Flood Risk
Planning Policy Statement 25 (PPS25) ‘Development and Flood Risk’ sets out Government policy on development and flood risk. It's aims are to ensure that flood risk is taken into account at all stages in the planning process to avoid inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding, and to direct development away from areas of highest risk. Where new development is, exceptionally, necessary in such areas, policy aims to make it safe, without increasing flood risk elsewhere, and, where possible, reducing flood risk overall.
The Tyne and Wear Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA) has been prepared on behalf of the five Tyne and Wear authorities. The SFRA will form a planning tool that enables the council to select and develop sustainable allocations away from vulnerable flood risk areas. The assessment focuses on the existing allocations within the districts but will also set out the procedure to be followed when assessing additional sites for development in the future. The SFRA will assist the council to make spatial planning decisions required to inform our Local Development Framework. View our SFRA webpage.
- The Environment Agency have mapped areas at risk from flooding (September 2006).
- General advice with respect to flooding can be accessed on the Environment Agency website.
The Environment Agency have also produced standing advice to enable local planning authorities in England to make decisions on low risk planning applications where flood risk is an issue without directly consulting the Environment Agency for an individual response. Flood risk standing advice also identifies those higher risk development situations where case by case consultation with the Agency should continue. This information can be accessed with other information on the page including advice on what to include in a Flood Risk Assessment:
Where it is clear that a Flood Risk Assessment is required to support a planning application, this should be provided at the time of submission of the application.