Flooding

As the Pitt Review has highlighted, the UK was not fully prepared for the devastating floods of last summer, and as a result, homes, schools and businesses up and down the country suffered the effects of the severe weather.

Zurich Municipal have put together a flood guide which can be downloaded by clicking on the heading above.

With watercourses nearby, large parts of Fairfield & Howley sit on flood plains as a result of development over the past 150 years.

I have raised this issue with the council and the Environment Agency. The Council must get tough on protecting people in flood risk areas.

New government guidance gives Warrington Council Planners 5 steps for maximising the planning rules to better manage flood risks in their area.

It is now compulsory to consult with the Environment Agency on planning applications in flood risk areas and where councils ignore their advice on major developments the Government will intervene.

Sir Michael Pitt concluded in his interim report on the summer floods that these rules will prevent and reduce flooding - but councils need to rigorously apply them to make sure people at risk get the protection they deserve.

The five steps set out in the planning guidance that councils should follow for deciding new development are:

• Identify what the flood risks are including river/sea breaches, inadequate
drainage and surface water run off or sewer problems;
• Avoid risk by prioritising non-flood areas first for new development;
• Critically assess whether the need for a new development outweighs flood risk, including following Environment Agency advice;
• Control flooding using sustainable drainage and good design;
• Ensure all new buildings that have to be in areas that might flood are resilient and safe.