Councils ignoring flood risk advice on major developments

Planning authorities ignored Environment Agency objections to some 21 major developments in flood risk areas during the last financial year, according to the latest survey compiled by the agency and local authorities.

The survey just published covered the 12 months to April 2005 and the tally for major scheme where Agency advice was snubbed was the same as in the previous year.

However, the latest figures show that councils are accepting the agency stance in 92 per cent of cases, a statistic the Environment Agency finds encouraging.

Barbara Young, the agency's chief executive, said: "While we welcome findings that local planning authorities are increasingly not developing inappropriately in the flood plain, we are concerned that this improvement has not been repeated for major developments.

"There were 21 cases where our advice was ignored on major developments – the same as last year – and a large proportion of these were for residential development."

The latest figures on flood risk development show less than four per cent of appeal decisions were determined contrary to EA advice.

The number of EA objections fell slightly compared to the previous 12 months, down from 5,077 in 2003/04 to 4,634 in 2004/05.

Agency objections to major development schemes rose substantially last year up to 353 from 214. Some 200 were for housing, compared to 119 a year earlier.

The number of planning applications requiring detailed consideration on flood risk grounds has declined from 22,000 in 2003/04 to 14,000 in 2004/05.

Although the Environment Agency believes it is making inroads on the flood risk development front it remains concerned that planning authorities are still reluctant to inform it of decisions where the watchdog has objected.

In addition, the agency says that some developers are ignoring the requirement for flood risk assessments.

Proposals lacking a flood risk assessment account for more than half of all the agency objections which were sustained.

Updated: Friday, February 17, 2006 14:44