Floods – 31 July 2019 Incident Response and Recovery

16th September 2019 Environment and Regeneration Overview and Scrutiny Committee Paul Bayley, Director of Environment and Neighbourhood Services Paul Reeves, Flood Risk Manager

OFFICIAL Incident Response

• Flooding of properties reported in Poynton and Bollington and widespread road closures • Major Incident declared by Cheshire Police at 17:30 • Joint Tactical Coordination Centre opened at Police HQ to coordinate multi-agency response • Council Emergency Management and Response team activated • Cheshire Fire Service door-knocking affected properties to encourage residents to evacuate • Cheshire East Highways resources deployed across the region responding to calls and delivering sandbags • Emergency Rest Centre opened at Poynton Civic Hall

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Incident Response

• Up to 100 local residents took refuge at Starbucks in Adlington until water levels receded. • Partial collapse of Wards End Bridge – Transco attended to assess risk of damage to gas main under the bridge • Flooded factory in Bollington - 30 neighbouring residents evacuated due to risk of wall collapse. Fire service reduced water level through pumping and residents able to return to homes following Building Control inspection. • 10.30pm - reports of flooding in Handforth. Emergency Rest Centre opened at Oakenclough Childrens Centre in preparation for evacuation of 60 properties. • Major Incident stood down at 01:45.

OFFICIAL Recovery Phase

• Police hand over to Local Authority to lead Recovery phase • The first multi-agency Strategic Recovery Coordinating Group teleconference held at 10:00 on 1 August. • Extensive clean up and repair ongoing – highways, public rights of way, country parks • Multi-Agency drop-in centres for Bollington, Handforth, Kettleshulme, Poynton and Wilmslow communities • Formal Flood Investigation initiated under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 • Multi-Agency major incident debrief to learn lessons and identify areas for improvement • MHCLG notified for reimbursement of costs under the Bellwin scheme

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Assessing the Impact

• Flood warnings issued by the Environment Agency • 250+ properties flooded across Cheshire East, predominately in Poynton, Kettleshulme, Handforth, Bollington, Prestbury and Wilmslow areas • 150mm of rain over 5 days, estimated 1 in 200yr event • Records broken 31/07/19 when recorded river levels at Poynton Brook reached 2.2m, 1m higher than those recorded on the 11/06/16 • Flooding mechanisms include: Main River, Ordinary watercourse, surface water and sewer flooding

OFFICIAL Poynton

OFFICIAL Bollington

OFFICIAL Flood and Water Management Act 2010

• The Council must write and update a Local Flood Risk Management Strategy • The Council has a duty to Investigate Significant Flood Incidents • The Council has Consenting and Enforcement Powers and is now responsible for flooding associated with ordinary watercourses, surface water, groundwater • The Council has the power to Designate Features/Make byelaws • The Council became the lead and statutory consultee on Sustainable Drainage Systems in April 2015. • The Council is required to Maintain an Asset Register of 3rd Party flood risk assets

OFFICIAL Strategic Development Control

• A number of ongoing strategic development control actions • Property flooding linked with: – New developments in Shavington, Wilmslow, Handforth, Alderley Edge, Knutsford – Highways England, Chapel Lane • Local plan allocations to be reviewed following summer floods

OFFICIAL Statutory Planning

• Risk Management Authorities as a Statutory consultee include Cheshire East Highways and the Cheshire East Lead Local Flood Authority • Commented on circa 850 planning applications 2018/19 • HS2 Consultation phases 2a & 2b

OFFICIAL Drainage Improvements

• 7 Schemes programmed • 10 no. Residential properties to be protected

OFFICIAL Next steps

• Statutory Duties (Regulatory, Planning & Development Control) • Highway Drainage Improvement works (Council Funded): • Collaborative works with United Utilities • Flood Defence Schemes (Defra/Environment Agency/Local Levy funded) • Poynton and Pearl Street business cases to be reviewed following summer floods • Review/update of Flood Hazard and Flood Risk Maps, December 2019 • Review/update of Flood Risk Management Plans, December 2021 • Publication of Section 19 Flood Investigation Report

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