The Government`s Efforts To Stop Flood Plains Development Misses The Real Target
Government Floods Guidance (PPG25)
WHILST the House Builders Federation welcomes Government guidance on building in areas at risk of flooding, this could be used as a means of avoiding suitable development.
Pierre Williams, spokesman for the House Builders Federation, said: As has already been proved, the contribution to flood risk from new development is minimal and we already pay for necessary flood defences or Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems that can eliminate any increased risk.
We have already seen that it is older homes, often in historical town centres that are most at risk from flooding. The only way of tackling this is funding the Environment Agency sufficiently so it can build and maintain proper flood defences.
Of course we welcome any guidance that helps reduce flood risk. But the measures in this guidance already exist in powers given to the Environment Agency
The two real risks now are that this guidance disguises the need for proper flood defences at national and regional level and is used to scupper safe development by slowing down the planning system even more.