Flood Risk Assessments (FRA) are utilized to assess a plan for development to determine the likelihood of flooding. The risk doesn’t just originate from groundwater sources or rivers (fluvial) however, it can also include sources like coastal and estuary sources as well as surface water sources (pluvial).
The Flood Risk Assessment is necessary prior to making plans. If the development is located in an area that is a Flood Zone, or another at-risk zone, it is likely that the permit is not granted without one.
What is an Flood Risk Assessment?
The Environment Agency in England and Wales requires that an expert Flood Risk Assessment be submitted along with applications for planning permissions in areas that are at danger of flooding. If your proposed project is within 20m of the Environment Agency main stream, you’ll need an assessment of the risk of flooding.
You can use on the gov.uk website to determine whether your area is located in a flood zone or what the flood zone is.
As per the Environment Agency,
In the majority of developments that are located in flood zones, you’ll have to conduct an assessment of flood risk.
This includes any developments
Flood zones 2 and 3, with minor developments and changes of usage.
Zone 1 of floods: Greater than 1 Hectare (ha).
Flood zone less than 1 ha which includes any change in the development type that is an area of vulnerability (commercial to residential) and where they could be affected by sources of flooding other than sea (surface reservoirs and water drains);
Flood zone 1 is a region which has been identified by the Environment Agency as having critical drainage problems.
It is also recommended to contact the local planning authority in order to determine if the property is situated in an area that has significant drainage issues.
What do you make an Flood Risk Assessment Made?
Flood Risk Assessments are constructed using data from third-party sources. The sources of these data could include data taken from Environment Agency modelling or data that the consultant has collected on their own. To gain a comprehensive overview of the area and to determine any flooding-related risks the analysis will be conducted on the datasets.
What are the factors that can affect flooding?
There are many variables that could influence flooding, which include:
Surface run-off of water
Local Topography
Nearby coasts and rivers
geology
Groundwater
Current land use
existing drainage
mines
quarries
hardstanding
vegetation cover
rainfall levels
What is Drainage Design/Strategy and how can it be utilized?
Flood Risk Assessments typically require you to prove (and demonstrate) that the planned development won’t increase the risk of flooding elsewhere.
The Local Planning Authority will likely require an Drainage Strategy in this case.
They can be found anyplace that isn’t in the floodplain (river or coastal).
It is essential to make sure that run-off that comes from the area of development is minimized.
What can we do to assist?
We provide levels 1 as well as 2 Flood Risk Assessments.
Find out whether flooding is a problem on the site of development.
Find out if the region is at risk of flooding.
Find out if the risk of flooding due to increased run-off is greater at the site.
Find sources of flooding.
Assess the quality and accessibility of information.
Assess the flood risk in the location, and assess the impact on flooding in other areas.
Assess the scope of the appropriate design for development, and plan any additional work that is required.
We are qualified to assist you
People who aren’t experts or have been trained in Flood Risk Assessments may produce these assessments. Flood Risk Assessments can be complex because of their nature. Authorities might reject assessments that don’t address all flood scenarios. This could lead to lengthy delays between the approval of plans and the beginning of work.
A poor Flood Risk Assessment can lead to a lawsuit for negligence against the builder should there be a catastrophic flooding event.