Will all this rain cause flooding?

It has been raining in the south of England for the past week (plus a large part of the UK) and it looks like we have another week of it to come. No excuses for not watering the garden when so many have a hoespipe ban, but the clouds are full.

So will there be flooding? Localised fllods are occuring from time to time, but who knows about majore flooding?

On the 2nd April the ABI (The Association of British Insurers) and the National Flood Forum have published guidance for Local Authorities on planning in flood risk areas. The ABI issued a press release "Flood risk guidance will help local authorities make sustainable planning decisions"
They said  that the guidance aims to help Local Authorities in England when producing Local Plans and dealing with planning applications in flood risk areas, and complements the Government’s recently published National Planning Policy Framework.


Sustainable planning must take account of flood risk to prevent unwise developments in flood risk areas and ensure homes and businesses can continue to obtain flood insurance. The ABI has long campaigned for this and we are pleased that the National Planning Policy Framework makes it clear that flood risk should be considered in the planning process.

The ABI and National Flood Forum guidance sets out five key recommendations which Local Authorities can follow to help make sustainable planning decisions, such as taking account of all sources of flooding and climate change.

James Dalton, Assistant Director of General Insurance at the ABI, said:
“It is vital that new developments are insurable and carefully considering flood risk during the planning process is key to achieving this. We are pleased that the Government’s National Planning Policy Framework recognises the importance of flood risk, and the guidance we have produced should help Local Authorities make sensible planning decisions that help ensure flood insurance remains as widely available as possible.”


Paul Cobbing, Chief Executive of the National Flood Forum, commented:

“People rightly feel angry when new developments are built in areas likely to flood and communities despair when they put existing housing at greater flood risk. If it raises their insurance premiums or makes their homes uninsurable too this is plainly unfair. The Government’s new planning framework recognises this and this guidance will help decision makers to protect people.”

The five key recommendations from the guidance are:

1. Ensure strong relationships with technical experts on flood risk.


2. Consider flooding from all sources, taking account of climate change.


3. Take potential impacts on drainage infrastructure seriously.


4. Ensure that flood risk is mitigated to acceptable levels for proposed developments.


5. Make sure Local Plans take account of all relevant costs and are regularly reviewed. (Source ABI)

If you live an area that could be affected by flooding (and this includes properties close to rivers that might not have seen flooding for years) and are experiencing difficulty getting insurance or insurance that does not come with sky high excess amounts, then there are specialist insurance brokers/companies advertising their products at the jml-insurance web sites. 

Follow this link to find out more