South Essex Catchment Flood Management Plan Summary Report December 2009 Managing Flood Risk We Are the Environment Agency
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South Essex 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 Kingfisher House Goldhay Way, Orton Goldhay Peterborough PE2 5ZR 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. December 2009 Introduction I am pleased to introduce our summary of the South Essex Catchment Flood Management Plan (CFMP). This CFMP gives an overview of the flood risk in the South Essex CFMP area and sets out our preferred plan for sustainable flood risk management over the next 50 to 100 years. The South Essex CFMP is one of 77 CFMPs for England flooding. Tidal flooding from the North Sea and the and Wales. Through the CFMPs, we have assessed inland estuaries, affects Burnham-on-Crouch, North and South flood risk across all of England and Wales for the first Fambridge, South Woodham Ferrers, Purfleet, Tilbury and time. The CFMP considers all types of inland flooding, Canvey Island. The lower reaches of the rivers Crouch, from rivers, ground water, surface water and tidal Horndon, Mardyke and Roach are also influenced by flooding, but not flooding directly from the sea (coastal tides. Southend-on-Sea, Basildon, Wickford and Grays flooding), which is covered by Shoreline Management are at risk of surface water flooding. Sewer flooding Plans (SMPs). Our coverage of surface and groundwater has occurred in Stanford-le-Hope, Southend-on-Sea, flooding is however limited due to a lack of available Purfleet, Tilbury and Basildon. Aveley and Purfleet may information. be vulnerable to groundwater flooding. The role of CFMPs is to establish flood risk management We cannot reduce flood risk on our own. We will policies which will deliver sustainable flood risk therefore work closely with all our partners to improve management for the long term. This is essential if we are the co-ordination of flood risk activities and agree the to make the right investment decisions for the future and most effective way to manage flood risk in the future. to help prepare ourselves effectively for the impact of We work with many organisations, groups and climate change. We will use CFMPs to help us target our individuals with an interest in how flood risk is managed limited resources where the risks are greatest. including local authorities, Internal Drainage Boards (IDBs), water companies, conservation bodies such as This CFMP identifies flood risk management policies to Natural England and the public. assist all key decision makers in the catchment. It was produced through a wide consultation and appraisal This is a summary of the main CFMP document. process, however it is only the first step towards an If you would like to see the full document an electronic integrated approach to flood risk management. As we version can be obtained by emailing enquiries@ all work together to achieve our objectives, we must environment-agency.gov.uk or telephoning 08708 506 monitor and listen to each others progress, discuss what 506. Alternatively, paper copies can be viewed at any has been achieved and consider where we may need to of our offices in Anglian Region. review parts of the CFMP. There are different sources of flood risk in the catchment. River flooding occurs from the rivers Mardyke, Crouch, Roach and their tributaries that discharge directly into the sea or the Thames Estuary. Wickford, Eastwood, Paul Woodcock Stanford-le-Hope and Purfleet are at risk of river Regional Director Anglian Region Environment Agency South Essex Catchment Flood Management Plan 1 Contents The purpose of a CFMP in managing flood risk 3 Catchment overview 4 Current and future flood risk 6 Future direction for flood risk management 12 Sub-areas 1 Crouch catchment and River Mardyke/ Horndon catchment 14 2 Southern Crouch catchment 16 3 Rural Dengie Tidal and Northern Crouch catchment 18 4 Rochford/Hawkwell 20 5 Thames urban tidal 22 6 Basildon 24 7 Southend-on-Sea and Rayleigh 26 8 Wickford 28 9 Stanford-le-Hope 30 Map of CFMP policies 32 Thorndon Country Park 2 Environment Agency South Essex Catchment Flood Management Plan The purpose of a CFMP in managing flood risk CFMPs help us to understand the • Internal Drainage Boards (IDBs), CFMPs aim to promote more scale and extent of flooding now water companies and other sustainable approaches to managing and in the future, and set policies utilities to help plan their flood risk. The policies identified in for managing flood risk within the activities in the wider context the CFMP will be delivered through a catchment. CFMPs should be used of the catchment; combination of different approaches. to inform planning and decision Together with our partners, we • transportation planners; making by key stakeholders such as: will implement these approaches • land owners, farmers and through a range of delivery plans, • the Environment Agency, who will land managers that manage projects and actions. use the plan to guide decisions and operate land for on investment in further plans, The relationship between the CFMP, agriculture, conservation projects or actions; delivery plans, strategies, projects and amenity purposes; and actions is shown in Figure 1. • regional planning bodies and • the public and businesses to local authorities who can use the enhance their understanding plan to inform spatial planning of flood risk and how it will activities and emergency be managed. 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 South Essex Catchment Flood Management Plan 3 Catchment overview The South Essex CFMP area is Much of the South Essex CFMP area chalk bedrock, runoff may infiltrate located in the east of England. Map is low-lying. The CFMP area can the rock delaying the response of 1 shows the location and extent of be split into three characteristic rivers to rainfall and reducing peak the South Essex CFMP, it includes groups: flood flows. There is also a risk the catchments of three major from groundwater flooding in these • relatively low-lying marshes of rivers: The River Crouch, the River areas. Dengie, Foulness, Canvey, Tilbury Roach and the River Mardyke. The and the valleys of the rivers Within the South Essex CFMP downstream limit of the CFMP area Crouch and Mardyke; area there are a number of sites is located at The Essex and South designated for their environmental Suffolk Shoreline Management Plan • the high grounds between importance including Special (SMP) boundary. The SMP deals Brentwood and Billericay to Protection Areas (SPAs), Special with coastal flood management the north, the Langdon Hills at Areas of Conservation (SAC), issues along its boundary from Basildon and the area of land Ramsar sites, Sites of Special Landguard Point (on the north bank between South Benfleet and Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and of the Orwell estuary) to Purfleet (on Hockley in the east of the National Nature Reserves (NNRs). the north bank of the River Thames) CFMP area; Important environment sites in the including the estuaries up to their catchment include: Dengie (Ramsar, tidal limit. • the clay uplands surrounding the valleys of the rivers Crouch and SPA, SAC, NNR, SSSI), Mucking The CFMP covers an area of around Mardyke. Flats and Marshes (Ramsar, SPA, 727 km2, and has a population of SSSI), Crouch and Roach Estuaries 650,000 people. Over 20% of the The underlying geology is (Ramsar, SPA, SAC, SSSI). River total area is urbanised, this figure dominated by London clay, with flooding has a minimal impact on is likely to increase in the future some underlying chalk to the these sites and they will be mainly following initiatives such as the south-west of the CFMP area around affected by issues considered in Thames Gateway development. The Tilbury and Thurrock. Where the the Essex and South Suffolk SMP. main urban areas within the CFMP underlying rock is clay, there are Throughout the CFMP area there are are: Basildon, Southend-on-Sea, higher rates of rainfall runoff, 25 SSSIs. There are 60 Scheduled Grays and Rochford. Smaller towns and runoff flows directly into the Monuments (SMs), designated for include Eastwood, Tilbury, Canvey watercourses. There is also a risk their heritage value distributed Island and Wickford. Approximately from surface water flooding in these across the CFMP area. 46% of