New Forest Catchment Flood Management Plan Summary Report December 2009 Managing Flood Risk We Are the Environment Agency
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
New Forest Catchment Flood Management Plan Summary Report December 2009 managing flood risk We are the Environment Agency. It’s our job to look after your environment and make it a better place – for you, and for future generations. Your environment is the air you breathe, the water you drink and the ground you walk on. Working with business, Government and society as a whole, we are making your environment cleaner and healthier. The Environment Agency. Out there, making your environment a better place. Published by: Environment Agency Guildbourne House Chatsworth Road Worthing, West Sussex BN11 1LD Tel: 08708 506 506 Email: [email protected] www.environment-agency.gov.uk © Environment Agency All rights reserved. This document may be reproduced with prior permission of the Environment Agency. Introduction I am pleased to introduce our summary of the New Forest Catchment Flood Management Plan (CFMP). This CFMP gives an overview of the flood risk in the New Forest catchment and sets out our preferred plan for sustainable flood risk management over the next 50 to 100 years. The New Forest CFMP is one of 77 CFMPs for England The main source of flood risk in the New Forest CFMP is and Wales. Through the CFMPs, we have assessed from river flooding and the increasing effect of the tide inland flood risk across all of England and Wales for due to sea-level rise. Flood risk is concentrated within the first time. The CFMP considers all types of inland the urban areas such as Brockenhurst, Lymington flooding, from rivers, groundwater, surface water and and Totton. tidal flooding, but not flooding directly from the sea We cannot reduce flood risk on our own, we will (coastal flooding), which is covered by Shoreline therefore work closely with all our partners to improve Management Plans (SMPs). Our coverage of surface the co-ordination of flood risk activities and agree the and groundwater is however limited due to a lack of most effective way to management flood risk in the available information. future. Our partners we have worked with to carry out The role of CFMPs is to establish flood risk the actions to reduce flood risk include New Forest management policies which will deliver sustainable District Council, Natural England, Southern Water, flood risk management for the long term. This is Forestry Commission and the National Farmers Union. essential if we are to make the right investment This is a summary of the main CFMP document, if you decisions for the future and to help prepare ourselves need to see the full document an electronic version effectively for the impact of climate change. We will can be obtained by emailing use CFMPs to help us target our limited resources [email protected] or where the risks are greatest. alternatively paper copies can be viewed at any of our This CFMP identifies flood risk management policies to offices in Southern Region. assist all key decision makers in the catchment. It was produced through a wide consultation and appraisal process, however it is only the first step towards an integrated approach to flood risk management. As we all work together to achieve our objectives, we must monitor and listen to each others progress, discuss what has been achieved and consider where we may Toby Willison need to review parts of the CFMP. Regional Director, Southern Region Environment Agency New Forest Catchment Flood Management Plan 3 Contents The purpose of a CFMP in managing flood risk 5 Catchment overview 6 Current and future flood risk 8 Future direction for flood risk management 11 Sub-areas 1 Milton/Milford 13 2 Lyndhurst 15 3 Brokenhurst 16 4 Lymington 18 5 Hythe/Fawley 19 6 Totton 20 7 New Forest 21 Map of CFMP policies 23 4 Environment Agency New Forest Catchment Flood Management Plan The purpose of a CFMP in managing flood risk CFMPs help us to understand the • IDBs, water companies and CFMPs aim to promote more scale and extent of flooding now other utilities to help plan their sustainable approaches to managing and in the future, and set policies activities in the wider context flood risk. The policies identified in for managing flood risk within the of the catchment; the CFMP will be delivered through a catchment. CFMPs should be used combination of different approaches. • Transportation planners; to inform planning and decision Together with our partners, we making by key stakeholders such as: • Land owners, farmers and will implement these approaches land managers that manage through a range of delivery plans, • The Environment Agency, who will and operate land for projects and actions. use the plan to guide decisions agriculture, conservation on investment in further plans, The relationship between the CFMP, and amenity purposes; projects or actions; delivery plans, strategies, projects • The public and businesses to and actions is shown in figure 1. • Regional planning bodies and enhance their understanding local authorities who can use the of flood risk and how it will plan to inform spatial planning be managed. activities and emergency planning; Figure 1. The relationship between CFMPs, delivery plans, projects and actions. Policy planning • CFMPs and Shoreline Management Plans. • Action plans define requirement for delivery plans, projects and actions. Policy delivery plans (see note) Projects and actions • Influence spatial planning to reduce risk • Make sure our spending delivers the best and restore floodplains. possible outcomes. • Prepare for and manage floods • Focus on risk based targets, for example (including local Flood Warning plans). numbers of households at risk. • Managing assets. • Water level management plans. • Land management and habitat creation. Note: Some plans may not be led by us – we may • Surface water management plans. identify the need and encourage their development. Environment Agency New Forest Catchment Flood Management Plan 5 Catchment overview The New Forest CFMP area covers Special Protection Areas (SPA), are the largely forested Avon Water, 317 square kilometres and is home three Special Areas of Conservation the mixed character Bartley Water to nearly 169,000 people, with (SAC) and 14 Sites of Special and the relatively urbanised urban centres around the coast Scientific Interest (SSSI). Many of Danes Stream. including Totton, Hythe, Fawley, these sites support important Due to the geology and overlying Lymington and New Milton. Its wetland habitats and species soils, the catchments of the New unique landscape and natural sensitive to changes in water level, Forest are considered relatively beauty make it an important flow and quantity. impermeable, which generally recreational and tourist destination. The New Forest watercourses drain leads to a quick response to rainfall The majority of the catchment is into either the Solent or and large fluctuations in river flows. included in the New Forest National Southampton Water. The two largest The Danes Stream is the Park. The area is environmentally watercourses are the Lymington watercourse that responds most rich, with protected areas covering River and the Beaulieu River, which quickly to rainfall. around half of the catchment, both flow through largely forested including two Ramsar Sites and areas. Other watercourses of note ‘Many protected areas support important wetland habitats and species sensitive to changes in water level, flow and quantity.’ ➜ Lymington River near Brockenhurst. Forested streams such as this are typical of the upper catchment. 6 Environment Agency New Forest Catchment Flood Management Plan Map1. Overview map of the New Forest catchment. ‘The catchments of the New Forest are relatively impermeable, which leads to a quick response to rainfall and large fluctuations in river flows.’ Environment Agency New Forest Catchment Flood Management Plan 7 Current and future flood risk Overview of the current flood risk Where is the risk? Flood risk is the combination of the There have been several large The map on page 10 illustrates the likelihood of a flood occurring and events over the last century, distribution of the flood risk the consequences when it does. particularly on the Danes Stream. consequences in the New Forest Serious flooding does not occur CFMP area. Bartley Water and Lymington River very often in the New Forest CFMP catchments. The Calmore Canal The areas with the highest area, and extreme flooding is very passing through Totton exacerbates concentration of properties at risk rare. In many parts of the catchment, surface water flooding after heavy from river flooding are tabulated flooding brings environmental rain because culvert restrictions opposite. benefits to habitats such as wet cause high water levels reducing woodland and reed bed. the efficiency of the road The main source of flooding in the drainage network. New Forest CFMP area is from rivers with significant influence from tidal conditions. Risks are most significant in Brockenhurst, Milford on Sea, Lymington, Totton and Keyhaven. ➜ This environmentally rich catchment offers a unique landscape and natural beauty. 8 Environment Agency New Forest Catchment Flood Management Plan How we currently Table 1. Locations of towns and villages with 25 or more properties at risk manage the risk in a 1% annual probability river flood. Flooding from fluvial sources does Number of properties at risk Locations not pose a significant risk to most of >1000 None the New Forest catchment and we are therefore looking for opportunities 500 to 1000 None to revert the catchment back to its natural state. Our activity is 100 to 500 Brockenhurst, Totton, Lymington prioritised on a risk basis and our main activities include: 50 to 100 Milton/Milford, New Forest • Maintenance of existing and 25 to 50 Hythe and Fawley commission of new flood defences and structures such as the flood storage reservoir on Table 2. Critical infrastructure at risk: the Danes Stream which protects Milford-on- Sea and the recently 1 emergency service, 11* electricity sub stations, completed Flood Alleviation 1 sewage/water treatment works Scheme for Lymington.