Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 7
7
Accepted
Strengthen follow-up on planning advice and reduce new development in high flood risk areas.
Conclusion
We are concerned that new housing continues to be built in areas of high flood risk without adequate mitigations. Although the Agency is a statutory consultee for planning applications, it does not have powers in the planning process to prevent any development on flood plains without mitigation. The Agency told us that 99% of new homes’ planning applications complied with the Agency advice. The problem is that the Agency only examines a proportion of planning applications to build in a flood plain due to its own lack of resources. But over half of Local Planning Authorities said they rarely or never inspected a new development to check compliance with flood risk planning conditions due primarily to a lack of resources. Despite the clear risk, the Committee believes that there is still a lot of development continuing in areas of flood risk without adequate mitigations. It is unforgivable to permit the building of houses in the flood plain without effective mitigation measures. Recommendation 7a: The Agency, working with DLUHC and local planning authorities, should develop plans, including an assessment of any additional resources needed, to strengthen its follow-up process to ensure that the Agency’s planning advice has been fully implemented. b) The Department should write to us within 12 months to inform the Committee of progress on plans to reduce development in areas of flood risk without adequate mitigations. Resilience to fooding 9 1 Defra oversight and leadership
Government Response Summary
The government agreed and noted work is underway to introduce National Development Management Policies to elevate the legal status of national planning policies on flood risk. It also committed to keeping flood risk and planning policy under review.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding should be avoided by directing development away from areas at highest risk, including floodplains. Where development needs to be in locations where there is a risk of flooding as alternative sites are not available, local planning authorities and developers should ensure development is appropriately flood resilient and resistant, safe for its users for the development’s lifetime, and will not increase flood risk elsewhere. As a result of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023, work is also underway to elevate the legal status of national planning policies on flood risk through the introduction of National Development Management Policies. The government has committed to keep flood risk and planning policy under review to ensure it is sufficiently robust to keep future development safe from floods and to not increase risk elsewhere.