Havering Local Flood Risk Management Strategy 2015
Contents
Contents ...... 2
Foreword ...... 5
Introduction ...... 6
Structure of Strategy...... 6 Review of the Strategy...... 7 Annual Plans ...... 7 Guiding principles ...... 7 Objectives of Strategy...... 8
Legislative Context ...... 10
History of Flood Risk Management in Havering ...... 10 Recent drivers and legislation ...... 10 The National Strategy for Coastal and Erosion Risk Management ...... 14
Nature of Flood Risk in Havering ...... 17
Overview of Havering ...... 17 Types of Flood Risk ...... 18 Factors increasing flood risk ...... 22 Information available on flood risk ...... 22
Powers and Responsibilities of Stakeholders ...... 24
Powers and responsibilities of Risk Management Authorities ...... 24 Powers and responsibilities of London Borough of Havering ...... 25
Lead Local Flood Authority ...... 25 SuDS Approval Body ...... 30 Emergency Planning ...... 31 Highways Authority ...... 32 Historical Environment1 ...... 33 Planning Authority ...... 34
Additional responsibilities of Borough Councils...... 35
Responsibilities under the Land Drainage Act 1991 ...... 35 Responsibilities as a Planning Authority ...... 35
Responsibilities for maintenance of public spaces ...... 36 Responsibilities as an Emergency Planning authority ...... 37
Powers and responsibilities of Water Companies…………………………..37
Water Supply Companies (Essex & Suffolk Water ...... 38 Water and Sewerage Companies (Thames and Anglian Water) ...... 38
Powers and responsibilities of Environment Agency ...... 40
National Strategic Role ...... 40 Local Operational Role ...... 41 Main Rivers ...... 41 Coastal Flooding ...... 41 Reservoirs ...... 42 Coastal Erosion Risk Management Authority ...... 42 Emergency Planning ...... 42 Planning process ...... 42
Powers and responsibilities of Businesses and Household ...... 42
Utility and Infrastructure Providers ...... 42 Property owners and residents ...... 43 Riparian Owners ...... 44
Responsibilities of Communities ...... 44
Reporting flood incidents ...... 44 Helping residents to be aware of and manage the risk to their household 45 Community Emergency Self-Help Plans ...... 45
Actions to improve flood risk in Havering ...... 46
Borough-wide Strategic Actions ...... 47
Improve understanding of local flood risk ...... 47
Proactive measures ...... 47 Recording and reporting flood incidents ...... 48
Adapt spatial planning policy to reflect local flood risk ...... 49
Introduction of a robust SuDS framework ...... 50 Inclusion of local flood risk concerns in SFRAs ...... 51 Provision of new guidance via National Planning Policy Framework ...... 52
Raise community awareness ...... 53
Establish working framework between Risk Management Authorities ...... 55
Havering Partnership for Flood Management ...... 56 Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee ...... 56 Regional Flood and Coastal Committees ...... 57 Internal & External Flood Group Structure………………………………………….58
Site specific, flood risk management actions ...... 61
Encourage implementation of flood resilience measures and property protection schemes ...... 61 Implement sustainable drainage and source control measures ...... 61 Manage overland flow paths ...... 62 Review land management methods...... 62 Review asset management and maintenance methods...... 63 Achieve wider environmental benefits ……………………………………….63
Resource management ...... 64
Public Funding...... 65 Private Funding ...... 69 Other Sources of Funding...... 71
Environmental Objectives...... 73
Foreword
Sir Michael Pitts’ review into the flooding of 2007 resulted into the introduction of the Flood & Water Management Act 2010 and the identification of Local Authorities within England and Wales as Lead Local Flood Authorities.
The role of the LLFA’s was to formalise the flood management and mitigation measures as well as introduce a risk management approach across a number of differing disciplines within Local Authorities including, Development & Planning, Transportation, Response and Resilience. As part of this Flood Management process the introduction of the following elements ensured there was a standardised approach with milestones that could be auditable and managed so aiding the whole concept of Flood Risk Management.
The elements included:-
a) Flood Risk Strategy; b) Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment; c) Surface Water Management Plan; d) Multi Agency Flood Response Plan. e) Flood Risk regulations (consultation for implementation in Dec 2015)
This foreword introduces the strategy of the London Borough of Havering as required by the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 and the liaison that has been carried out as part of the Drain London Project and the Lead Local Flood Authority responsibilities for flood risk management.
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Introduction
The Havering Local Flood Risk Strategy is an important new tool to help understand and manage flood risk within the Borough.
It principally looks to tackle ‘local flood risk’, that is to say flooding from surface water, groundwater and ordinary watercourses such as ditches and streams. This type of flooding is responsible for most of the households flooded in England, but until now there has been little to address these forms of risk. The strategy will look to address this gap.
However, for those who suffer from flooding, it doesn’t matter what type of flooding it is, so this strategy also provides information about other forms of flooding and the organisations involved. It explains the powers and responsibilities of all the major organisations involved in flood risk and what householders and businesses need to do. It highlights and summarises all the work done on flooding in Havering so that this information is more easily accessible for those wishing to understand more about flood risk.
Flood risk management in Havering is entering a new stage marked by better knowledge of the risks in the Borough, improved co-operation between organisations involved in flood risk management and better communication with the public about those risks and what can be done. This strategy explains the steps to be taken to ensure this happens.
However the strategy doesn't cover all the actions that will be taking place to tackle flood risk over the next few years. Decisions about that will depend on information that is not currently available; information about where the risk is greatest and what funding can be attained. The strategy identifies broad actions that will need to take place over the next two years and the principle underlying future decisions.
The strategy will be supplemented by annual action plans which will be approved by the Havering's Flood Management Group. These will give a more detailed understanding of what will be taking place each year to manage flood risk in Havering.
Structure of the Strategy
The Strategy begins by stating its guiding principles and objectives which set its context. It continues with a history of how flood risk management has been organised in Havering and a summary of the legislation, explaining what laws dictate the work done to manage flood risk and the organisations involved.
There is then information on Havering’s level of flood risk. The strategy’s focus is on local flood risk. It provides details of this, explaining what information is available and what is currently unavailable. It also explains other types of flood risk, much of which is better known. This information is at a high level and should not be used as reference for any particular location.
The next section provides full detail on the responsibilities and powers of each of the organisations involved in flood risk management. This includes the responsibilities and powers of householders and businesses that may have a crucial role to play in managing flood risk.
Against this context the strategy provides information on possible actions. It identifies the countrywide actions that need to be taken. It also provides information and analysis about the types of more localised actions that are available. This will be used in future action plans in determining what actions are possible and appropriate to tackle localised flood issues.
Finally the strategy considers the resources available and how best to utilise them, including ensuring they meet our commitment to sustainable development.
Review of the Strategy
There are going to be substantial changes in the next few years with changes to the planning system, sustainable drainage requirements and the provision of flood insurance. There will also be innovations in the funding and design of flood prevention schemes and improvements in the knowledge of where the greatest flood risks lie.
So it makes sense for the first review of the Local Flood Risk Management Strategy to take place in the third quarter of 2015. After that the strategy should be able to be reviewed less frequently, at 3 yearly intervals, with the next review in 2018.
Annual Plans
To complement the Havering Strategy for Flood Risk Management, annual plans will be put before the Havering Flood Management Group [p68]. These will contain:
Latest information available about local flood risk, indicating where flood risk has decreased due to actions or where new information has changed prioritisation. Actions required to meet the Flood Risk Regulations in the coming year. Projects which will be put forward to the Environment Agency for entry onto their medium term plan. Actions from the Surface Water Management Plan which are aimed for delivery over the next two years. Any other actions intended by Havering risk management authorities including the Havering Borough Resilience Forum Risk Management Group or the SuDs Approving Body following adoption of this strategy. Flooding risk assessments were reviewed by the HBRF Risk Advisory Group in June 2014 – next review 2016
The meeting to agree the annual plan will occur at the beginning of each financial year. All annual plans will need to comply with the principles laid out in the Havering Strategy for Flood Risk Management and the National Strategy for Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management. These annual plans ensure operations are joined up across the different stakeholders in the Borough. They will not be subject to public consultation but will identify through a robust risk assessment process the greatest risks within the Borough. This plan will be subject of deliberation by the environment overview and scrutiny committee.
Guiding Principles The following are the guiding principles for flood risk management in Havering:
1) Flood damage from surface runoff, groundwater and ordinary watercourses creates both public and private financial costs. Effective flood risk management can reduce long-term flood damage costs
2) Decisions on where local resources are focused should be evidence-based and made against clear criteria.
3) Improving the level of knowledge about flood risk across all stakeholders is a vital process which needs to be improved.
4) Neither LBH nor the EA are able to ensure that all households and businesses are safe from flooding. Householders and business holders have responsibility for protecting their own premises, but relevant public organisations have a duty to inform households of their risk and advise what steps they can take to make their property more resilient. EP Handbook in libraries and on the Havering website has guidance on flood protection.
5) Flooding is a natural event that will occur despite all efforts to prevent it. Hence it is important to focus as much on reducing the disruption that flooding causes as on measures to prevent it.
6) No single organisation can effectively manage flood risk across the whole of Havering, so co-operation among relevant public agencies is essential for the success of long-term comprehensive flood risk management.
7) New developments should aim not only to ensure that there is no increase in flood risk but that the existing flood risk levels are reduced.
8) The cumulative impact of small developments on flood risk is as significant as the impact of major developments, so both must be managed to ensure the threat of flood risk doesn’t grow.
Objectives of the Strategy The objectives of the strategy are as follows:
I. To provide a clear explanation of all stakeholder’s responsibilities in flooding issues.
II. To ensure a clear understanding of the risks of flooding from surface runoff, groundwater and ordinary watercourses.
III. To define and explain the criteria by which areas at risk from flooding are assessed and resources are prioritised.
IV. To state how risk management authorities will share information and resources.
V. To ensure households and properties are aware of the level of flood risk they face and the steps they will need to take to manage the risk.
VI. To set out clear and consistent plans for risk management so that communities and businesses can make informed decisions about the management of the residual risk.
VII. To ensure that planning decisions are properly informed by flooding issues and the impact future Development may have.
VIII. To encourage innovative management of flood and coastal erosion risks, taking account of the needs of communities and the environment.
IX. To ensure that emergency plans and responses to flood incidents are effective and that communities are able to respond properly to flood warnings.
Legislative Context History of flood risk management The responsibility for flood risk management within Havering has changed considerably over the past 50 years. Prior to 1989, the regulation of national environmental issues (including flood risk management, drainage and water quality) was carried out by ten Regional Water Authorities (RWAs). Havering came partly under the control of the Anglian Water Authority and partly Thames Water. These companies were set up after the enactment of the Water Act in 1973. In 1989 the National Rivers Authority (NRA) was set up. This national body took over the roles and responsibilities of all the individual RWAs. In December 1991, a number of pieces of legislation were enacted which aimed to consolidate existing water legislation. Most relevant in terms of flood risk management was the Land Drainage Act, which outlined the duties and powers to manage land drainage for a number of bodies including internal drainage boards and Local Authorities, and the Water Resources Act, which outlined the roles and responsibilities of the National Rivers Authority. The Statutory Water Companies Act and the Water (Consequential Provisions) Act were also enacted at the same time. The Environment Agency was established by the Environment Act in 1995. The Environment Agency came into existence on 1st April 1996 and took over the roles and responsibilities of the National Rivers Authority and also the responsibility for issuing flood warnings, a role previously held by the police. The management and operation of the Environment Agency is divided into a number of regions across the country; the London Borough of Havering falls across two regions, Anglian and Thames Region, so responsibility is split between both Environment Agency regional teams. Within England and Wales, recent flood risk management policy changes were accelerated by major flood events in 1998 and 2000, which led to the release of Planning Policy Guidance 25 (PPG25): Development and Flood Risk in 2001. PPG25 aimed to strengthen development planning with regard to flood risk. Importantly, it was the first attempt to introduce sustainable surface water management into the planning process. Planning Policy Statement 25 (PPS25) superseded PPG25 in 2006 and reinforced the requirement for sustainable surface water management in new developments in England and Wales. Recent drivers and legislation Following the extreme floods of 2007, the Pitt Review (2008) stressed the importance of implementing better legislation for the effective management of surface water, with increased responsibilities for upper tier local authorities such as London Borough of Havering. Many of the recommendations from the Pitt Review have been implemented through the Flood and Water Management Act (2010), which places a greater responsibility on upper tier local authorities, particularly for surface water management issues, under their new role as a Lead Local Flood Authority. A summary of key recent documents and legislation is included below.
The Pitt Review
Sir Michael Pitt carried out an independent review of national flood risk management practices after the widespread and catastrophic floods during the summer of 2007, in which over 50,000 households were affected and damages exceeded £4billion. The Pitt Review was published in June 2008 and called for urgent and fundamental changes to the way flood risk was being managed. The report contained 92 recommendations for the Government, local authorities, Local Resilience Forums and other stakeholders based around the concept of local authorities playing a major role in the management of local flood risk, by coordinating with all relevant agencies.
The Flood Risk Regulations (2009)
The Flood Risk Regulations came into force in December 2009 and transposed the EU Floods Directive into law for England and Wales. The Flood Risk Regulations require three main pieces of work for areas identified at being at significant risk of flooding. To address three main tasks across the 32 London Boroughs, a project known as Drain London was created to ensure a standardised approach of flood risk management was completed. These three main tasks were:
1. Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment (PFRA) – This involved collecting information on past and future floods from surface water, groundwater and small watercourses, assembling the information into a PFRA report and identifying Flood Risk Areas. The PFRA for the London Borough of Havering has already been completed, submitted to the Environment Agency and the completed document is available on the LBH website.
2. Flood Hazard and Flood Risk Maps – Following the identification of Flood Risk Areas, the Environment Agency and LB Havering are required to produce hazard and risk maps by 22nd December 2013.
3. Flood Risk Management Plans – The final stage is to produce a Flood Risk Management Plan by 22nd December 2015. It is likely that SWMPs undertaken in the area, as well as this Local Flood Risk Management Strategy, will contribute significantly to the preparation of a Flood Risk Management Plan for the whole of the Havering area. This plan has now been produced by the EA on behalf of LLFA and is now subject of public consultation.
The Flood and Water Management Act (2010)
The Flood & Water Management Act (FWMA) gained royal assent on the 8th April 2010 and provides legislation for the management of risks associated with flooding and coastal erosion. Many of the recommendations contained in the Pitt Review have been enacted through the Flood and Water Management Act. The Act reinforces the need to manage flooding holistically and in a sustainable manner and places a number of roles and responsibilities on councils such as London Borough
of Havering, which is designated a Lead Local Flood Authority. The preparation of this Local Flood Risk Strategy is just one of the duties placed upon LB Havering under this piece of legislation. Other responsibilities are covered under Section 5. The Act defines various bodies which are ‘risk management authorities’ and lists them as the following:
a Lead Local Flood Authority the Environment Agency a district council for an area for which there is no unitary authority an internal drainage board a water company a highway authority
National Planning Policy Framework
The National Planning Policy Framework introduced by Government in March 2012 is designed to streamline planning policy by substantially reducing the amount of planning guidance and bringing it all together in one coherent document. More information on the purpose of the National Planning Policy Framework can be found in the strategic actions under Adapt spatial planning policy to reflect local flood risk [p61]
Other Legislation
Flood Risk Management is affected by a range of other legislation and guidance. These include:
The London Plan (2011) as amended The Climate Change Act (2008) The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations (2010) The Civil Contingencies Act (2004) The Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Directive (2001) The Land Drainage Act (1991) The Water Framework Directive (WFD) Thames Region Bye-laws TE 2100 – Thames Estuary 2100 plan – https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/thames-estuary-2100-te2100 (pages 144-152 Rainham Marshes policy unit) Figure 1 provides a summary of European, national, regional and local policies concerning flood and water management that are of relevance and importance to flood risk management within Havering. It also provides an overview of the linkages between legislation, policy and strategy documents that relate to flooding and the management of flood risk.
Figure 1 Overview of current flood risk management drivers and
National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)
The National Strategy for Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management
The Flood and Water Management Act 2010 requires the Environment Agency to develop, maintain, apply and monitor a strategy for flood and coastal erosion risk management in England. The national strategy describes what needs to be done by all the authorities involved (including the Environment Agency, local authorities, internal drainage boards, water and sewerage companies and highways authorities) to reduce the likelihood of flooding and coastal erosion, and to manage their consequences. The National Strategy became a statutory document on 18th July 2011. It can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-flood-and-coastal-erosion-risk-management- strategy-for-england
The overall aim of the National FCERM Strategy for England is to ensure the risk of flooding and coastal erosion is properly managed by using the full range of options in a co-ordinated way. It is designed to support local decision-making and engagement in FCERM, making sure that risks are managed in a co-ordinated way across catchments and along the coast.
The National Strategy sets out strategic aims and objectives for managing flood and coastal erosion risks and the measures proposed to achieve them. It states that Government will work with individuals, communities and organisations to reduce the threat of flooding and coastal erosion by:
Understanding the risks of flooding and coastal erosion, working together to put in place long-term plans to manage these risks and making sure that other plans take account of them
Avoiding inappropriate development in areas of flood and coastal erosion risk and being careful to manage land elsewhere to avoid increasing risks
Building, maintaining and improving flood and coastal erosion management infrastructure and systems to reduce the likelihood of harm to people and damage to the economy, environment and society
Increasing public awareness of the risk that remains and engaging with people at risk to make their property more resilient
Improving the detection, forecasting and issue of warnings of flooding, planning for and co-ordinating a rapid response to flood emergencies and promoting faster recovery from flooding
Consistency between Local Strategies and the National Strategy
The Flood and Water Management Act states that Local Strategies must be consistent with the National Strategy. This means being consistent with the National Strategy's overall aims and objectives, and in particular its six ‘guiding principles’.
The guiding principles
Community focus and partnership working Risk management authorities need to engage with communities to help them understand the risks, and encourage them to have direct involvement in decision- making and risk management actions. Working in partnership to develop and implement local strategies will enable better sharing of information and expertise, and the identification of efficiencies in managing risk.
A catchment and coastal “cell” based approach In understanding and managing risk, it is essential to consider the impacts on other parts of the catchment or coast. Activities must seek to avoid passing risk on to others within the catchment or along the coast without prior agreement. In developing local strategies LLFAs should ensure that neighbouring LLFAs within catchments are involved in partnerships and decision making. Strategic plans such as Catchment Flood Management Plans (CFMPs) and Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs) should be used to help set strategic priorities for local strategies. In addition as part of the Drain London project the Boroughs of Barking & Dagenham and Redbridge form the Area 5 for the purposes of planning and liaison in respect of cross border flood risk. Additional liaison with the Essex areas of Brentwood and the Unitary authority of Thurrock is essential in order to maintain a ‘joined up’ approach to flood risk management and this strategy.
Sustainability LLFAs should aim to support communities by managing risks in ways that take account of all impacts of flooding (for instance on people, properties, cultural heritage, infrastructure and the local economy) and the whole-life costs of investment in risk management. Where possible, opportunities should be taken to enhance the environment and work with natural processes. Risk management measures should also be forward looking, taking account of potential risks that may arise in the future and being adaptable to climate change. Government guidance has been developed to set out the link between sustainable development and risk management to support the implementation of the strategy. This is covered in greater detail in Environmental Regulations [p87]
Proportionate, risk-based approaches It is not technically, economically or environmentally feasible to prevent all flooding and coastal erosion altogether. A risk-based management approach targets resources to those areas where they have greatest effect. All aspects of risk management, including the preparation and implementation of local strategies, should be carried out in a proportionate way that reflects the size and complexity of risk. The assessment of risk should identify where the highest risks are and therefore the priorities for taking action.
Multiple benefits As well as reducing the risks to people and property, FCERM can bring significant economic, environmental and social benefits. In developing and implementing local strategies, LLFAs should help deliver broader benefits by working with natural processes where possible and seeking to provide environmental benefit as required by the Habitats, Birds and Water Framework Directive. Measures such as the use of SUDS to manage risk should be considered as they can also deliver benefits for amenity, recreation, pollution reduction and water quality.
Beneficiaries should be allowed and encouraged to invest in local risk management The benefits achieved when flood and coastal erosion risks are managed can be both localised and private, through the protection of specific individuals, communities and businesses. In developing local strategies, LLFAs should consider opportunities to seek alternative sources of funding rather than relying on Government funds. This will enable more risk management activity to take place overall.
Nature of Flood Risk within Havering Overview of Havering The study area for this Flood Risk Strategy is defined by the administrative boundary of the London Borough of Havering. The geographical extent of the study area is illustrated in Figure 2
Figure 2: Map of the Borough boundaries for Havering
Havering Profile
Havering is London’s 3rd largest borough, covering an area of 11,235 hectares (43 square miles). 809 hectares are parks and open spaces, and 54% is green belt. The borough is bordered by the London Boroughs of Redbridge and Barking and Dagenham, Essex County and 3 miles/5 km of River Thames frontage. The borough is made up of several suburban towns, a regional shopping centre at Romford, and an even distribution of commercial and industrial premises generally located on estates and retail/office parks. There is one COMAH site (Flogas) located in Rainham.
There are several major trunk roads crossing the borough including the M25/A12/A13 and A127. The London Underground District line, C2C and National Rail lines all cross and have stations located within the borough, with the Channel Tunnel Rail Link passing through over ground.
The Rivers Rom, Ravensbourne and Ingrebourne run north-south across the borough towards the Thames, with the Rom joining the Beam at the Barking and Dagenham border. These rivers all feature on the EA Flood Map.
The population is approximately 237,232, with 88% being White British, 1.4% White Irish, 2.4% Other White and 8.3% Black and Minority Ethnic. Havering has the highest proportion of residents over 60 in London (27%) with 6% (0.4), 14% (5-15) and 53% (16-59). There are 100,230 households, the majority of which are privately owned. The Council house portfolio is predominantly housing, with some low and medium rise and 23 high rise residential blocks.
Health care is delivered through 1 major hospital, 1 local hospitals, a polyclinic and 3 health centres as well as GP surgeries. Education is provided through 89 schools and 2 colleges
Havering falls across the Thames River Basin District and is served by two water companies, Thames Water and Anglian Water. It is also served by two Environment Agency regions, Thames and Anglian regions. The Thames Region covers the majority of the Borough with Anglian only covering a small area as part of the Thurrock and Brentwood boundary areas.
Types of Flood Risk The nature of flood risk within Havering is extremely varied and is becoming a major issue across the Borough. There are a network of rivers and watercourses, combined with a number of suburban towns and green belt areas, which means it is at risk of flooding from a range of different sources. The 2011 Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment (PFRA) for Havering Council highlighted records of a number of flood events across the Borough over the previous years. It also highlighted the number of surface water flooding events over the past 10 years which could be attributable to the changes in climate and infrastructure of the Borough. The main sources of flood risk within Havering include: Surface water flooding, also known as pluvial flooding or flash flooding, is usually associated with high intensity rainfall events (typically greater than 30mm/hr) and can be exacerbated when the ground is saturated or when the drainage network has insufficient capacity to cope with the additional flow. Until recently, the risk from surface water was poorly understood, with little information available about the mechanisms of surface water flooding and the associated risks. Based on information collected as part of the Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment, Havering has nearly 19,000 properties predicted to be affected by shallow surface water flooding (deeper than 0.1m) during an extreme rainfall event (with a probability of 1 in 200). This risk is spread across the Borough. The Havering Surface Water Management Plan completed as part of the drain London project has identified a number of Critical Drainage Areas (CDA’s) Figure 3 below identifies the Critical Drainage Areas which were identified as part of the Drain London project and included within the surface water management plan. Although the CDA’s are identified the prioritisation of those areas of particular risk into high/medium/low risk is an ongoing assessment process ensuring that available funding is secured to focus upon the area where properties are most vulnerable. Surface water flooding can be potentially exacerbated when there is a tide-locked situation. The drainage system primarily owned and operated by Thames Water can become overwhelmed with torrential rain so reducing its ability to cope with the drainage requirements to discharge into watercourses. The need to work with partners in order to ensure a rigorous maintenance regime is in place to mitigate the potential of this growing type of flood event.
CDA 005 Ardleigh Green East
CDA 013 West Romford
CDA 014 River Rom and Beam River
CDA 015 Havering Park
CDA 016 Rise Park West
CDA 017 Rise Park
CDA 018 Cranham
CDA 019 Ardleigh Green
CDA 023 Elm Park
CDA 024 Hornchurch
CDA 025 Gallows Corner
CDA 026 Harold Hill North
CDA 030 Hacton
CDA 032 Corbets Tey
CDA 034 Thames
CDA 035 Upminister
CDA 036 Ingrebourne
CDA 037 River Ravensbourne
CDA 038 Heath Park North
CDA 039 Heath Park South
CDA 040 Harold Hill South
CDA 042 Clay Tye
CDA 043 Havering-atte-Bower
Surface Water only: LLFA direct responsibility as Surface Water derived risk
Surface Water with Main River interaction: Combined Surface Water risk areas of mutual responsibility between LLFA and a partner, where overarching lead sits with a partner
Main River with Surface Water interaction: LLFA acts as secondary partner where the lead responsibility lies with another organisation as main risk is not Surface Water derived
Groundwater flooding occurs when water levels within the ground rise above the ground surface. Flooding of this type tends to occur after long periods of sustained heavy rainfall and can last for weeks or even months. The areas at most risk are often low-lying where the water table is more likely to be at a shallow depth and flooding can be experienced through water rising up from an underlying aquifer or from water flowing from springs. The Havering PFRA has identified areas susceptible to groundwater flooding across the Borough; this information will be used to assist with the prioritisation of flood risk areas within this document. River flooding, also known as fluvial flooding, occurs when a watercourse cannot accommodate the volume of water that is flowing into it. Rivers are categorised into main rivers and ordinary watercourses. Main rivers are usually large watercourses but also include smaller watercourses of strategic drainage importance. The Environment Agency’s powers to carry out flood defence works apply to main rivers only. All other smaller watercourses, ditches and streams are classified as ordinary watercourses. Havering has a number of main
rivers and associated tributaries including the River Rom, River Ingrebourne, River Ravensbourne and River Beam in addition to the vast network of ordinary watercourses. Coastal flooding usually occurs during storm surges when there is an increased risk of high sea levels causing overtopping or breaching coastal flood defences leading to flooding inland. The greatest risk of coastal flooding is experienced when there is a combination of high tides and a storm surge, which is when a low pressure system causes a localised rise in sea level and wave height. Havering has no direct coastline although the River Thames in the south of the Borough is tidal and can be affected by any North Sea surge up to and including the Thames Estuary. Reservoir flooding results from the complete or partial failure of a reservoir structure. It may be caused by erosion due to seepage, overtopping of the dam beyond its design level or through accidental damage to the structure. There are no large open reservoirs in Havering that could pose a threat however, there is an enclosed reservoir owned and operated by Essex & Suffolk Water. Reservoir failure is extremely rare. Sewer flooding occurs when the sewer network cannot cope with the volume of water that is entering it or when pipes within the network become blocked. This type of flooding is often experienced during times of heavy rainfall when large amounts of surface water overwhelm the sewer network causing flooding. Water Utility ‘DG5’1 registers show a total of 464 flood events reported by water companies over the last decade. These events have not been geo referenced, so the spatial distribution is unknown; however, it is anticipated that greater risk will be within heavily urbanised areas. Highway flooding can be defined as flooding caused by heavy rainfall or overflowing from blocked drains and gullies causing water to pond within the highway network. During the PFRA process, highway flooding reports were collected from around 150 different locations and this data is included in the overall evidence base of flood information.
1 A water-company held register of properties which have experienced sewer flooding due to hydraulic overload, or properties which are 'at risk' of sewer flooding more frequently than once in 20 years.
Figure 4: Responsibility for forms of flooding
Surface Groundwater Ordinary
Main Rivers Reservoir Flooding Coastal Highway Flooding
Factors increasing flood risk Flood risk is a combination of probability and consequence; as there are a number of factors which will lead to higher probability of flooding in the future and more serious potential consequences, this will result in an increase in the risk of flooding across Havering. The factors leading to an increase in flood risk include:
It is predicted that climate change will lead to more frequent and more severe extreme weather and therefore to more extreme floods with more serious consequences;
Over time deterioration in the condition and performance of existing drainage infrastructure and flood defence structures will increase future flood risk;
New development and changes in land use will lead to an increase in impermeable surfaces and therefore cause increased levels of runoff during heavy rainfall events;
Development may also lead to deforestation and general loss of vegetation cover, also causing increased levels of runoff during heavy rainfall events; and
Damage to higher value property and contents will lead to increased cost of damages. Information available on flood risk A variety of publically available documents identify flood risk within Havering.
These include:
The Havering Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment
The Havering Strategic Flood Risk Assessment
The Havering Multi-agency Flood Plan
The Thames Catchment Flood Management Plan
The Havering Surface Water Management Plan
The Emergency Planning Handbook https://www.havering.gov.uk/Documents/Emergencies/emergency-planning-handbook.pdf
The Havering Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment
The Havering Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment was published in November 2011 to meet the requirements of the Flood Risk Regulations 2009 [p10]. The PFRA provides a high level overview of flood risk from local flood sources, including surface water, groundwater and ordinary watercourses. It combines modelling of rainfall events produced by the Environment Agency with locally collected information to explain the local flood risk across the whole of the Borough.
Flood risk data and records of historic flooding were collected from different local and national sources including Havering Council services as well as the previous Havering Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (2007), the Environment Agency, water companies, emergency services and other key stakeholders, in order to develop a clear overall understanding of the flood risk across Havering. Information relating to flood events, caused by flooding from surface water, groundwater and ordinary watercourses, was collected and analysed, although comprehensive details on flood extents and consequences during these events was largely unavailable.
There is a large variation in the number of recorded historical flood events within the Borough council. However, this variation is most likely to be due to differences between different departments and agencies in recording and storing flood event data, and should not be taken as a representation of the range in frequency or severity of flood risk across the Havering Council administrative area. Because of these discrepancies, the information from the PFRA should be considered as indicative and will be added and improved upon. It will be used as the basis for identifying the areas at greatest surface water flood risk, a process that will be refreshed every year to inform the annual plan.
The Environment Agency have used a national methodology, which has been set out by DEFRA, to identify indicative Flood Risk Areas across England. Out of the ten indicative flood risk areas that have been identified nationally, London as a whole (covered by the 32 London Boroughs and the Corporation of London administrative boundary) was identified as a single
risk area prompting the Drain London Project managed by the GLA with input from representatives across each of the individual council areas. The Drain London project resulted in all of the Boroughs being divided into groups where flood risk areas were connected. This meant that the project could identify cross Borough liaison and partnership working to address inter-related issues. Location within the Indicative Flood Risk Area does not necessarily mean that flood risk is higher. The Flood Risk Regulations require additional responsibility to be undertaken within the Indicative Flood Risk Area.
The Thames Catchment Flood Management Plan
The Thames CFMP covers a large area from the Cotswolds to the Thames Estuary including Havering. The Plan identifies the Ingrebourne and Beam as the two significant rivers within Havering.
Powers and Responsibilities of Stakeholders This section provides fuller information about the powers and responsibilities of stakeholders. However it doesn’t only do this. Flood risk management is not something that can be left solely in the hands of certain organisations and forgotten by everyone else. Households and businesses still have their part to play. Even if this strategy was being devised at a time of substantial public sector budgets, these organisations would still not be able to prevent all floods or solve all concerns. That is why the powers and responsibilities of householders and businesses are also highlighted.
Powers and responsibilities of Risk Management Authorities
The Flood and Water Management Act identified certain organisations as ‘Risk management authorities’ which have responsibilities around flooding. This means new ones identified by the Flood and Water Management and longstanding ones covered by previous legislation.
The Risk Management Authorities in Havering are:
Highways Agency Thames Water Anglia Water The Environment Agency (Anglian and South Eastern Offices) TFL
All of these authorities have the following duties and power:
Duty to be subject to scrutiny from lead local flood authorities’ democratic processes. Duty to co-operate with other risk management authorities in the exercise of their flood and coastal erosion risk management functions, including sharing flood risk management data. Power to take on flood and coastal erosion functions from another risk management authority when agreed by both sides
All risk management authorities have a duty to be subject to scrutiny from the Lead Local Flood Authorities’ democratic processes. The key partnership is the Havering Internal Flood Management Group made up of the appropriate services within the Council. In addition the External Flood Group, made up of Partners would be consulted in respect of flood risk
management. The flooding responsibility will be primarily reported through to Havering's Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
Co-operation with other risk management authorities includes the following:
Membership of the Thames Regional Flood & Coastal Committee within which an elected member of one Council represents the Boroughs of Havering, Barking & Dagenham and Redbridge. Discuss with other councils before designating structures and features to ensure consistency Report flooding incidents to the StreetCare Flood Risk Engineer on a monthly basis Report flood assets, as defined by agreed criteria, as and when they are revealed to Officers Assist with Flood Investigation Reports where appropriate Provide local knowledge to SuDS Approval Officers regarding applications in their area. Ensure that members of the public who are trying to contact another organisation are swiftly put through to the appropriate organisation Easy sharing of information and data
This list is not exhaustive but if there is any dispute about whether an activity can reasonably be expected from a Flood Risk Management Authority, the issue will be brought to the Havering Flood Management Group. The duties outlined are within the responsibilities of the Lead Local Flood Authority.
Powers and Responsibilities of London Borough of Havering London Borough of Havering has a range of different roles that are important for flood risk management. These include acting as:
Lead Local Flood Authority SuDS Approval Board – to be implemented 6th April 2015 Emergency Planning Highways Authority Historical and Natural Environment Planning Authority
Lead Local Flood Authority The Flood and Water Management Act 2010 identified London Borough of Havering as the Lead Local Flood Authority for its administrative area. This gave Havering a strategic role in overseeing the management of local flood risk i.e. flood risk from surface water runoff, groundwater and ordinary watercourses such as streams and ditches.
The responsibilities of Havering as a Lead Local Flood Authority are:
Development, maintenance, application and monitoring of a strategy for local flood risk management in the jurisdiction of the lead local flood authority;
Strategic leadership of local risk management authorities. It is recommended that this is done through the formation of a local flood partnership between lead local flood authorities and other risk management authorities;
Powers to request information from any person in connection with the authority’s flood and coastal erosion risk management functions;
A duty to investigate and publish reports on flooding incidents in its area (where appropriate or necessary) to identify which authorities have relevant flood risk management functions and what they have done or intend to do;
A duty to maintain a register of structures or features (asset register) which, in the view of the lead local flood authority, have a significant effect on flood risk in their area;
Responsibilities as a Sustainable Urban Drainage (SuDS) Approval Body (SAB) for approval, adoption and maintenance of new SuDS developments;
Decision making responsibility for whether third party works on ordinary watercourses by third parties that may affect water flow can take place (internal drainage boards will still have this role on ordinary watercourses in their system);
A duty to exercise flood or coastal erosion risk management functions in a manner consistent with national and local strategies;
A duty to aim to contribute towards the achievement of sustainable development in the exercise of flood or coastal erosion risk management functions and to have regard to any Ministerial guidance on this topic.
From 6th April 2015 will become a statutory consultee within the Planning application process. This will be in the case initially of all majors defined as being 10+ units. This will be included within the National Planning Policy Framework.
Havering also has the following new powers:
Power to do works to manage flood risk from surface runoff or groundwater;
Power to designate structures and features that affect flooding;
The key activities for a Lead Local Flood Authority are:
Strategic Leadership Meeting the Flood Risk Regulations Flood Investigation Reporting Asset Register Designating Assets Reporting Flood Incidents
Consenting changes to Ordinary Watercourses
Strategic Leadership
London Borough of Havering has an important role to play as the strategic leader for local flood risk management. This involves developing this Local Flood Risk Management Strategy document, ensuring that all organisations involved in flood risk management are aware of their responsibilities, monitoring progress and activity by all parties involved in flood risk management and co-ordinating communication with the public and between organisations.
The Thames Regional Flood and Coastal Committee provides an important forum for elected representatives to discuss flood risk. There are also officer groups which bring together relevant officers from the different organisations to discuss issues of policy and to ensure that information is being captured and shared.
Meeting the Flood Risk Regulations
The Flood Risk Regulations 2009 require all Lead Local Authorities to produce a Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment (PFRA). The first PFRA was published November 2011 and can be found on the Havering website. www.havering.gov.uk . A new version will be published in 2017. The PFRA identifies any Indicative Flood Risk Areas in the Borough.
The Flood Risk Regulations also require that Flood Risk and Flood Hazard Maps are produced for any Indicative Flood Risk Areas. This will be followed by a Flood Risk Management Plan which will be published in December 2015.
Recording Flood Incidents Assembling an accurate picture of flood risk across Havering requires the collection of precise and useful records from actual flood incidents occurring across the Borough.
This will be achieved using a Flood Incident Record Sheet which includes fields for rainfall and flood information, as well as additional columns for the nature and cost of any damage and Officer notes. Any records will be completed each time an incident occurs, and that all records will be sent through to Havering Flood Management group prior to the next scheduled meeting.
Anglian Water, Thames Water, Transport for London and the Highways Authority may respond to certain incidents so a process needs to be formulated for data to be efficiently shared with the Lead Local Flood Authority.
Flood Investigation Reports
A Flood Investigation Report should examine which authorities have an involvement in a flood incident, and clearly outline their responsibility or actions, if any.
Investigations will involve consultation with the relevant risk management authorities, landowners and private organisations involved, all of whom we expect to cooperate with us and provide comments.
The aim is for Flood Investigation Reports to bring all useful information together in one place, providing an understanding of situations, outlining possible causes of flooding and
potential long-term solutions. Further recommendations will be made to highlight potential flood risk management actions. Reports will provide a clear and thorough understanding of flooding situations, but our duty to investigate does not guarantee that problems will be resolved and cannot force other authorities into action. Decisions about next steps must be made by the parties involved.
The decision whether to investigate a flood is ultimately at the discretion of the Lead Local Flood Authority. Current policy is that an investigation should be carried out where the following eligibility criteria are met, or it is in the public interest to do so:
where there is ambiguity surrounding the source or responsibility of a flood incident;
where internal flooding of one property has been experienced on more than one occasion; OR where internal flooding of five properties has been experienced during one single flood incident; OR where there is a risk to life as a result of flooding.
Flood Investigation Reports (FIRs) should be published within 3 months of an incident being reported to London Borough of Havering. However, there are cases where this timeframe will be extended (e.g. widespread flooding across the Borough).
During widespread flooding, the method for prioritising flood investigation will initially be based on the following flood characteristics; this information is deemed the most likely to be available:
the number of properties flooded internally; the frequency of flooding (based on the number of incidents in the last 10 years).
If after considering the above there remains no clear priority, characteristics such as the flood source, flood depth and velocity, rate of onset and duration will be taken into account if known.
Asset Register
Flood Risk Assets are structures or features which are considered to have an effect on flood risk. An example could be an embankment protecting properties and therefore decreasing flood risk, or an undersized culvert in a residential area, which may increase flood risk during high rainfall.
Havering Council is required to keep an asset record (for use by risk management authorities) and an asset register (available for inspection by the public at all reasonable times). This process will take a substantial amount of time to complete as assets of other holdings are also required.
The Asset Register (for public use) will include a map of local flood risk assets across Havering. Information will clarify whether an asset is publically or privately owned. The Asset Record (for LLFA use) will then provide further information about each asset, and contact details for the owner/maintainer. This database will be used to investigate cases where flood risk asset issues have been reported.
Unlike major assets associated with fluvial or tidal flooding, there may be confusion over the ownership and maintenance responsibility of local flood risk assets. For example local drainage infrastructure is commonly hidden underground or along land boundaries, where landowners either do not realise or acknowledge that they have any responsibility. The Asset Register helps to address this problem, making residents aware of assets in their area and enabling contact with the assets’ owners when there are problems.
There are no defining criteria for what defines an asset as "significant" but the most important consideration is its location. Future flood risk mapping and the flood history at a site will be used to analyse the ‘significance’ of each flood risk asset. The vulnerability of the asset’s surroundings will also be used to determine the possible consequences of its failure.
Pro-active collection of information regarding existing assets will require Havering Council to work with other Boroughs, the GLA and the Environment Agency as well as Havering Council’s Highways team, TFL, Highways Agency, Anglia Water, Thames Water and other partners highlighted within the flood risk organogram of organisations and identified as members of the external flood group structure.
New sustainable drainage assets will be recorded via the SUDS approval process and asset data may also be captured through local studies, such as Surface Water Management Plans. The present system being used is the Floodstation - a computer designed programme that is used by a number of LLFA’s across London.
Designating Assets
Relevant clauses of the Flood and Water Management Act have been commenced, Havering Council, Environment Agency and the adjoining Borough Councils will all be ‘designating authorities’. That is, they may ‘designate’ features or structures where the following four conditions are satisfied:
1. The designating authority thinks the existence or location of the structure or feature affects: a. a flood risk, or b. coastal erosion risk. 2. The designating authority has flood or coastal erosion risk management functions in respect of the risk which is affected 3. The structure or feature is not designated by another authority 4. The owner of the structure or feature is not a designating authority.
If an asset becomes ‘designated’ its owner cannot alter or remove it without first consulting the designating risk management authority.
The aim of designating flood risk assets is to safeguard them against unchecked works which could increase flood risk in the area. Designating of features is not something that should be done regularly but only when there are concerns about the asset.
To ensure that there is a consistency in designation across all the designating authorities, it is proposed that there is a biannual meeting.
Consenting Watercourses
The London Borough of Havering will lead on ordinary watercourse consenting and enforcement The Land Drainage Act 1991 will underpin ordinary watercourse regulation undertaken by Local Authorities. This will occur following commencement of paragraphs 32 34 of Schedule 2 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.
Changes to ordinary watercourse management have been made by the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 [FWMA]. In particular paragraph 32 (principally) of Schedule 2 of the FWMA amends section 23 of the Land Drainage Act 1991 (LDA1991). The purpose of ordinary watercourse regulation is to control certain activities that might have an adverse flooding impact. Planning any works to an ordinary watercourse, may require consent under the Land Drainage Act (1991) from London Borough of Havering. Ordinary watercourses include streams, drains and ditches and passages through which water flows that do not form part of the main river. From the 6th April,2013 the duty to consent works on ordinary watercourses, passes to London Borough of Havering, from the Environment Agency. Environment Agency remains responsible for main river consenting, and Havering is responsible for consenting on ordinary watercourses within their drainage area. A statutory map showing main rivers is available from the Environment Agency main rivers are regulated by the Environment Agency. To determine if the watercourse is in the drainage board's area, a map is available on the EA website Section 23 of the Land Drainage Act (1991) states: No person shall – i. erect any mill dam, weir or other like obstruction to the flow of any ordinary watercourse or raise or otherwise alter any such obstruction; or ii. erect a culvert in an ordinary watercourse, or iii. alter a culvert in a manner that would be likely to affect the flow of an ordinary watercourse, without the consent in writing of the drainage board concerned.
Consent under this section may be given subject to reasonable conditions. How to apply for land drainage consent for ordinary watercourses To make an application, please contact us for a form. We can also advise on what to include with your application, which other organisations you may need to consult regarding your application and how long it takes to process your application.
SuDS Approval Body Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS) are a crucial mechanism in ensuring that development can take place without causing drainage problems for existing development. SuDS retain surface water runoff within a development and stop it running off at fast rates, causing flooding downstream. They are also an opportunity to ensure that issues of water quality and amenity are given the same importance as managing volumes of water. In this
way, sustainability and consideration of biodiversity and natural habitat issues can become an integral part of the design and development process.
The Flood and Water Management Act 2010 assigns London Borough of Havering the role of a SuDS Approval Body (SAB) which must:
Approve all construction work which has drainage implications
Ensure that any adopted SuDS Schemes are properly maintained
This is a parallel process to planning permission, similar to Building Regulations Approval. However, to avoid confusing situations whereby a planning application could be approved but construction cannot go ahead because the drainage application was denied, all drainage application decisions will be made where possible week before the final planning application is made so that it can be considered in the planning application decisions. The Environment Agency are a statutory consultee for the approval process and must respond within 21 days of being consulted about an application.
Drainage is a complicated issue and cannot be tacked on at the end of designing a scheme. For that reason Havering Council will produce a SuDS Design Guide to advise on the SAB’s expectations for drainage. Developers are also encouraged to contact the SAB team at a very early stage of development to discuss their plans.
Once a SuDS application has been approved, construction can take place subject to compliance with other statutory regimes such as Planning or Building Control. A non- performance bond will be taken out which will be repaid on confirmation that the SuDS has been designed as agreed in the drainage application. There will then be a trial period to ensure that it functions fully before adoption takes place.
Once adoption has taken place, maintenance will be the responsibility of London Borough of Havering and will be carried out either by Havering itself or by a contracted provider.
DEFRA (Department for Environment, Fisheries and Rural Affairs) has published guidance on National Standards for SuDS and the approval process. This can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-envi ronment-food-rural-affairs
Emergency Planning London Borough of Havering Emergency Planning & Business Continuity Service has responsibility for planning for and responding to local flood incidents (i.e. groundwater, surface water runoff and ordinary watercourse flooding). Emergency Planning has a fairly generic set of responsibilities for responding to the many type of emergencies that may affect the Borough. These roles include:
Receipt of and monitoring of Flood Guidance Statement and Extreme Rainfall Alerts.
Internal and external cascade of Flood Guidance Statements and Extreme Rainfall Alerts as directed.
Deployment and facilitating of support personnel to Strategic Co-ordinating Group, Empress State Building if required for a cross London event.
Maintain emergency resource database
Maintain GIS with surface water mapping in partnership with the EA
Maintain GIS with data on vulnerable locations with GIS Team.
Liaison / Support with members of the Havering Borough Resilience Forum (these include British Transport Police, Environment Agency, London Ambulance Service, London Fire Brigade, Metropolitan Police, Health Protection Agency, NHS Havering Co-ordinate role and deployment of the Voluntary Sector to emergencies.
Warning and Informing under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004
Provision of a 24/7 Local Authority Liaison Officer (LALO) system
Maintenance of the Borough Emergency Control Centre. (BECC)
Emergency Planning work very closely with the London Fire Brigade in planning for and responding to flood emergencies. The London Fire Brigade are not a flood risk management authority and do not have any specific mandated responsibilities around flood emergencies. However, as part of the service they offer, they are often involved in flood emergencies. This is agreed through ‘New Dimensions’ where a number of other responsibilities and areas of response have evolved through the various incidents and events including the Pitt Review, 07/07 terrorist attacks and other major disasters.
Highways Authority Highways Authorities are Risk Management Authorities, under the Flood and Water Management Act, and must adhere to the responsibilities of risk management authorities. However, Highways Authorities also have further responsibilities:
Responsibility to maintain the Highways
Under the Highways Act, the Highways Authority has a duty to maintain the highway. This includes ensuring that highway drainage systems are clear and that blockages on the highway are cleared, where reasonably practicable.
As part of this duty, roads are regularly inspected and maintained. Highways Structures are inspected on a 2 year cycle.
Responsibility as an undertaker
Havering Highways have a number of roads that fall within their responsibility. However, the main trunk roads within the Borough including A12, A13 and A127 are the responsibility of Transport for London with the drainage assets on those roads being owned by Thames Water. Part of the M25 falls within the London Borough of Havering and is managed by the Highways Agency .
Powers to deliver works
Highways Authorities are able to adopt SuDS that serve the highways and may do this in certain circumstances up until the commencement of the SuDS Approval Body.
The highway authority can deliver works that they consider necessary to protect the highway from flooding. These can be on the highway or on land which has been acquired by the highway authority in the exercise of highway land acquisition powers for that purpose. An example of this is the provision of attenuation ponds on highway land to alleviate flooding adjacent to the M25.
Highway Authorities may divert parts of a watercourse or carry out any other works on any form of watercourse if it is necessary for the construction, improvement or alteration of the highway or provides a new means of access to any premises from a highway.
Response in an Emergency Flooding Event
In the event of an emergency or major incident Havering Highways Authority will provide:
The means to transport people through its contacts with local bus, coach and taxi operators and Havering's in house fleet to assist with evacuations and helping uninjured survivors at the scene of a major incident to travel home or to a place of safety
Assistance in management of the transportation network to restore the flow of traffic in the event of an evacuation or away from the area of an incident. This includes providing equipment such as barriers, cones and signs and setting up and marking route diversions (service provided by Works Contractors in conjunction with the Police) and changing traffic signal controls to improve the flow of traffic.
Use of the TFL Traffic Control Centre facilities and established media contacts to keep staff and the public across the Borough informed on travel related matters.
The means to inspect, repair or clear the highway network through the provision of staff, materials and equipment sourced through contractors where necessary and in liaison with TFL.
Historic Environment Flood Risk and the Historic Environment
The historic environment comprises historic landscape, historic built environment and buried archaeological deposits. The Champion for the Historic Environment within Havering produces an Annual report and highlights any advice on planning and other land management decisions such as flooding to avoid or mitigate damage to the historic environment.
This topic has input from Havering Museum Limited and other officers elsewhere within the authority where previous flood events are recorded and investigated.
Planning Authority Havering’s Planning Authority responsibilities are included within the local planning policy framework and all planning functions, all Minerals & Waste related developments and the
determination of planning applications which affect Flood Risk Management are carried out in two key ways:
1) Considering flooding concerns in developing local plans and policies – namely the adopted Local Development Framework (2008) documents and policies, including the Joint Waste Development Plan Document (prepared and adopted in conjunction with the London Boroughs of Barking & Dagenham, Newham and Redbridge) and policies on minerals and minerals extraction in the Borough
2) Working with the SuDS Approval Body in ensuring that planning applications and drainage applications are complementary – Namely the determination of Minerals and Waste planning applications and Reg 3 Havering Council’s own developments (schools, roads etc)
Considering flood risk assessments submitted in support of applications on which the Environment Agency do not require to be consulted.
Planning Policy - Minerals and Waste Local Plans and Policies:
When considering flooding concerns in developing Minerals and Waste plans and policies the Minerals and Waste planning authority needs to do all the actions that Local Planning Authorities have to do and in addition:
Consider whether to promote sustainable water management through a Waste Water Treatment Works
Work with developers to locate new development and regeneration according to the flood vulnerability category of the intended use in relation to Minerals and Waste. Avoid creating additional risk by not developing in areas served by critical infrastructure which is in a flood vulnerable location.
Development Management - Planning Application process (Minerals, Waste & Borough Councils own development)
Information about the role and requirements of the SuDS Approval Body can be found on p34. Co-operation between the Planning Authority and SuDS Approval Body requires the planning authority:
To alert developers at the pre-application stage of the need to consult with the SuDS Approval Body about drainage issues on the site.
Ensure that requests for outline and full planning permission are discussed with the SuDS Approval Body (area to be expanded within the Statement of Community Involvement).
Consult with SuDS Approval Body on applications which require a drainage application, to ensure that approval is not given to planning applications which require material changes to the application in order to receive drainage approval.
Additional Responsibilities of Borough Councils
Responsibilities under the Land Drainage Act London Borough of Havering has no responsibilities (except when it is a landowner) under the Land Drainage Act. They do however have a number of permissive powers, which they can employ but are under no obligation to use. These include:
Permissive powers to maintain or improve existing works or to construct new works in order to help mitigate
Permissive powers to serve notice requiring owners to undertake the necessary works. Failure to comply with such a notice may result in the Council undertaking the work and recharging the owner the costs of so doing
Power to require works for maintaining flow of watercourse (unless the problem is due to mining operations). However under S26 before exercising this power the local authority shall, according to whether or not the watercourse or part is in an internal drainage district, notify the Environment Agency.
Advise the LLFA on land drainage consent applications
Responsibilities as a Planning Authority London Borough of Haverings’ planning function supports Flood Risk Management in three key ways:
Considering flooding when developing local plans Working with the SuDS Approval Body in ensuring that planning applications and drainage applications are complementary Considering flood risk assessments submitted in support of applications on which the Environment Agency do not require to be consulted
When considering flooding concerns in developing local plans the Planning Authority needs to do the following:
Produce a Strategic Flood Risk Assessment which considers not just fluvial and coastal flooding but also local flood risk issues. Where Critical Drainage Areas have been identified these will need to be included.
Consider whether to promote sustainable water management through the Waste Plan addressing the issue of Waste Water Treatment work
Develop a Local Plan that carefully considers flood risk. The Local Plan should embed the Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA), the Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment and Surface Water Management Plan (where applicable). This should allow the Local Plan to assess and record the flood risks for new developments and steer development to areas of lowest flood risk.
Work with developers to locate new development and regeneration according to the flood vulnerability category of the intended use. Avoid creating additional risk by not developing in areas served by critical infrastructure which is in a flood vulnerable location.
Promote development in hazard free areas through embedding the sequential approach referred to in the National Planning Policy Framework into the Local Plan.
Safeguard land for critical infrastructure and agricultural use.
Develop action plans, where necessary, to support sustainable spatial planning and ensure all plans are integrated and firmly linked to local strategies.
Ensure that community plans fully consider flood risk issues.
Consider the implications of the Thames Estuary 2100 (TE2100) plan.
Co-operation between the Planning Authority and SuDS Approval Body requires the planning authority to:
Invite SuDS Approval Body to any pre-application discussions taking place with developers so they can attend and advise on drainage
Alert developers at the pre app planning stage of the need to consult with the SuDS Approval Body about drainage issues on the site
Ensure that requests for outline planning permission are discussed with the SuDS Approval Body
Ensure that when the planning application arrives, the attached drainage application is immediately sent on to the SuDS Approval Body (subject to change depending on DEFRA application system proposals).
Amend local guidance so that, as with objections from highways authorities, local planning authorities are able to reject planning applications on the basis that they have failed their drainage application.
Under a consultation presently underway it is anticipated that the SuDS schemes for Major developments (10+ Units) will be implemented on the 6th April 2015 as part of the amendments to the National Planning Policy Framework and will therefore be part of the planning application and process. (Updated 2.1.2015)
Responsibilities for maintenance of public spaces London Borough of Havering are responsible for maintenance of most parks and public spaces. Good maintenance practices can help to reduce flood risk, for instance by ensuring that rubbish and leaves are not tidied into watercourses or drains. For new public spaces which are under the control of a management company, these activities should be included in the management contract.
London Borough of Havering may also be riparian owners of both ordinary and main watercourses and as such should carry out the duties imposed on riparian owners by the Land Drainage Act. They should maintain all assets in their ownership.
Responsibilities as an Emergency Planning Authority London Borough of Havering is a ‘Category 1’ responder to emergencies and a member of the Havering Resilience Forum. Further information about this group can be found on the council website at www.havering.gov.uk. They have duties to:
Undertake risk assessments. Manage business continuity. Carry out emergency planning. Share information and cooperate with other responders. Warn and advise the public during times of emergency.
During and after an emergency, London Borough of Havering have the following roles and responsibilities:
Coordinate emergency support within their own functions. Deal with surface water and groundwater flooding, flooding from ‘non main rivers’. Work with other Category 1 and 2 responders as part of the multi-agency response to floods. Coordinate emergency support from the voluntary sector. Liaise with central and regional government departments. Liaise with essential service providers. Open rest centres if necessary. Manage the local transport and traffic networks. Mobilise trained emergency social workers. Provide emergency assistance. Deal with environmental health issues, such as contamination and pollution. Coordinate the recovery process. Manage public health issues. Provide advice and management of public health. Provide support and advice to individuals. Assist with business continuity.
Powers & Responsibilities of Water Companies
There are two types of water companies working in Havering. Essex & Suffolk Water are the water supply company, while Thames Water and Anglian Water are water and sewage companies.
Water Supply Companies
Water supply companies are not Risk Management Authorities and do not have obligations to co-operate and be subject to scrutiny by Lead Local Flood Authority committees. However the Reservoirs Act 1975 has been amended to state the following:
All undertakers with reservoirs over 25,000m³ must register their reservoirs with the Environment Agency as they are subject to regulation
All undertakers must prepare a reservoir flood plan
All incidents at reservoirs must be reported
Water and Sewage Companies
The water industry is highly regulated and the quality of customer service and the prices they are able to charge their customers are regulated by the Water Services Regulation Authority (WSRA), commonly known as Ofwat. The water industry operates on five-yearly cycles called Asset Management Plan (AMP) periods. Prices are set by Ofwat at the beginning of each period, following submissions from each company about what it will cost to deliver their business plans.
When determining price limits Ofwat determines how much water companies can charge their customers to:
finance their day to day spending finance their capital investment programme reward outperformance in the previous five-year period continue to finance previous capital investment through the return the company earns on its regulatory capital value (RCV) pay tax it is liable for
Water and sewerage companies have the following responsibilities around flood risk management:
Respond to flooding incidents involving their assets. Produce reports of flood incidents. Maintenance of a register of properties at risk of flooding due to a hydraulic overload in the sewerage network (DG5 register). Undertake capacity improvements to alleviate sewer flooding problems on the DG5 register. Provide, maintain and operate systems of public sewers and works for the purpose of effectively draining an area. Have a duty to co-operate with other relevant authorities in the exercise of their flood and coastal erosion risk management functions. Must have a regard to national and local flood and coastal erosion risk management strategies. May be subject to scrutiny from lead local flood authorities’ democratic processes. Have a duty for the adoption of private sewers. Statutory consultee to the SAB when the drainage system is proposed to communicate with the public sewer.
Water & Sewerage Companies & the London Borough of Havering.
It is important that the LB Havering works closely with the water and sewerage companies in order to ensure an integrated approach to flooding is maintained to the benefit of the Havering and adjoining communities.
Responding to and reporting flood incidents
Water and Sewerage Companies are responsible for flooding from their foul and surface water sewers, and from burst water mains.
The majority of flooding is reported into a 24 hour operational contact centre. The contact centre agent will check that the flooding incident involves their company's assets. If it does not they will redirect the call if necessary. If assets are identified a job is raised and dispatched to field teams.
If flooding is present or evidence of recent flooding present, the engineer will fill out a ‘DG5 Form’.
The DG form records:
The address The date and time of the flooding The weather (at the time of flooding) The spill size (small, medium or large) The cause of flooding (blockage, collapse, asset failure or overloaded) The sewer type, asset reference and grid reference. Flooding location (internal, external) and the number of areas affected
These forms are electronically sent and collated by the Streetcare operational management centre. Those reports of flooding due to ‘overloaded’ sewers are passed onto the asset planning team for further investigation under the DG5 procedures. Under these procedures the local asset planning teams have to conduct a detailed report of the flooding, this may include; examination of previous job history, questionnaires and interviews with the affected residents, site surveys, analysis of rainfall data and hydraulic modelling. This may result in an addition to the DG5 register. Those reports of flooding due to blockage, collapse or other asset failure are collated and used for internal reporting.
The DG5 Register All water and sewerage companies maintain a register of properties at risk of flooding due to a hydraulic overload in the sewerage network, known as the DG5 register. This is part of the set of Ofwat DG (Director General) indicators (DG2 – DG9) used to monitor company performance.
The DG5 register is a register of properties and areas that have suffered or are likely to suffer flooding from public foul, combined or surface water sewers due to overloading of the sewerage system more frequently than the relevant period. There are 3 at risk reporting categories: ‘1 in 20 year’, ‘1 in 10 year’ and ‘2 in 10 year’. The reporting category reflects the frequency of flooding incidents in properties/areas and not the return period of the storm that causes the flooding. A sewer is overloaded when the flow from a storm is unable to pass through it due to a permanent problem (e.g. flat gradient, small diameter). Temporary problems such as blockages, siltation, collapses and equipment or operational failures are excluded. It is also worth noting that properties will be removed from the register once a solution is in place.
Tackling sewer flooding
As part of their obligation to Ofwat, Water and Sewage companies are required to undertake capacity improvements to alleviate sewer flooding problems on the DG5 register during the current Asset Management Period (2010-15) with priority being given to more frequent
internal flooding problems. It is important to identify solutions that are robust and cost beneficial. It is important that there is consistency in approach, identification and prioritisation.
During Anglian Water’s business plan process for this asset management period they undertook willingness to pay surveys which included focus groups, surveys, and questionnaires across a range of customers to find out their priorities and their willingness to pay for them. This is used to calculate the societal costs. In addition, Anglian Water calculates the ‘private’ costs avoided as a result of the scheme. The total of both the societal and private costs must be less than the benefits of the scheme. The benefits are calculated by the severity of flooding, frequency of flooding, reputational impact and cost of carbon. It is not known at present the situation in respect of Thames Water but the responsibility to undertake the capacity improvements still falls on the company to report to Ofwat that they are meeting their obligations.
System of public sewers and works
An essential flood risk management duty is defined under Section 94 of the Water Industry Act 1991, which states that Water and Sewerage Companies (WaSCs) have a duty to provide, maintain and operate systems of public sewers and works for the purpose of effectually draining our area. WaSCs also have a duty under the WIA 1991 relating to premises for ‘domestic sewerage purposes’. In terms of wastewater this is taken to mean the ordinary contents of lavatories and water which has been used for bathing, washing and cooking purposes and for surface water the removal from yards and roofs. However, there is no legal duty or responsibility relating to highway drainage, land drainage and watercourses, with the exception that WaSCs can accept highway drainage by agreement with a Highway Authority.
Water companies have no powers to prevent new connections to its network even if they know it will cause flooding to customers. This is why water companies ask to comment on planning applications even though they are not statutory consultees as it is the only way that appropriate phasing can be requested while upgrades are delivered. They will be statutory consultees to the SuDS Approval Body.
Powers & Responsibilities of Environment Agency
The Environment Agency has both a national strategic role and local operational roles when it comes to flood risk management.
National Strategic Role
The Environment Agency is required to publish the National Strategy [p14] which seeks to provide a clear national framework for all forms of flood and coastal erosion risk management. It aims balance using a risk-based approach allowing local responsibility and decision-making where appropriate. Like the local strategy, it looks to define and clarify the roles and responsibilities of risk management authorities and to provide information to communities at risk so they know what they need to do
The National Strategy identifies the following strategic actions for the Environment Agency:
Use strategic plans like the Catchment Flood Management Plan and the Shoreline Management Plan to set the direction for Flood Risk Management
Support the creation of Flood Risk Regulations by collating and reviewing the assessments, plans and maps that Lead Local Flood Authorities produce.
Providing the data, information and tools to inform government policy and aid risk management authorities in delivering their responsibilities.
Support collaboration, knowledge-building and sharing of good practice including provision of capacity-building schemes such as trainee schemes and officer training.
Manage the Regional Flood and Coastal Committees (RFCCs) and support their decisions in allocating funding for flood defence and flood resilience schemes.
Report and monitor on flood and coastal erosion risk management.
Provide grants to risk management authorities to support the implementation of their incidental flooding or environmental powers.
Local Operational Role
The Environment Agency’s Local Operational Role includes being a coastal erosion risk management authority, emergency planning and managing flooding from main rivers, reservoirs and the sea.
Main Rivers
Main Rivers are watercourses shown on the statutory Main River map held by the Environment Agency and DEFRA. The Environment Agency has permissive powers to carry out works of maintenance and improvement on Main Rivers. This can include any structure or appliance for controlling or regulating flow of water into or out of the channel. The overall responsibility for maintenance of Main Rivers, however, lies with the riparian owner.
It can also bring forward flood defence schemes through the Regional Flood and Coastal Committees, and it will work with lead local flood authorities and local communities to shape schemes which respond to local priorities.
It also acts as the enforcement authority for reservoirs with a storage capacity greater than 25,000m³ and, once the relevant parts of the Act have been commenced, reservoirs with a capacity of 10,000 m³ will be included within the reservoirs act. Responsibility for carrying out work to manage reservoir safety lies with the reservoir owner/operator.
Coastal Flooding
The Environment Agency is the lead organisation responsible for all flood and erosion risk management around the coastline of England, including tidal flood risk. The Environment Agency leads the country in developing a coastal management plan that works at local, regional and national level, with partner organisations, including local authorities, putting agreed plans into practice. The Environment Agency supports this by giving Grant-in-Aid funding for coastal defence schemes and overseeing the work carried out.
Reservoirs
The Environment Agency enforces the Reservoirs Act 1975, which is the safety legislation for reservoirs in the United Kingdom. The Environment Agency is responsible as the Enforcement Authority in England and Wales for reservoirs that are greater than 10,000m3. As Enforcement Authority the Environment Agency must ensure flood plans are produced for specified reservoirs. However responsibility for carrying out work to manage reservoir safety lies with the reservoir owner/operator who should produce the flood plans. The Environment Agency is also responsible for establishing and maintaining a register of reservoirs, and making this information available to the public.
Coastal Erosion Risk Management Authority
The Environment Agency is a coastal erosion risk management authority with the power to protect land against coastal erosion and to control third party activities on the coast. This includes the construction of private defences or the removal of beach material.
Emergency Planning
The Environment Agency contributes to the development of multi-agency flood plans, which are developed by local resilience forums (LRFs) to help the organisations involved in responding to a flood to work better together. It also contributes to the National Flood Emergency Framework for England which includes guidance on developing and assessing these plans. It works with the Met Office to provide forecasts and warnings of flooding from rivers and the sea in England. The Environment Agency and other asset operating authorities also have a role in proactive operational management of their assets and systems to reduce risk during a flood incident.
Planning process
Environment Agency also has a regulatory role in consenting works carried out by others in or adjacent to water courses and sea/tidal defences to ensure that they have regard to flood risk and do not cause unnecessary environmental damage.
It is also responsible for providing advice to planning authorities in development and flood risk; providing fluvial and coastal flood warnings; monitoring flood and coastal erosion risks and supporting emergency responders when floods occur.
Powers of Responsibilities of Businesses and Households
Utility and Infrastructure Providers
Utility and infrastructure providers such as Network Rail, energy companies and telecommunication companies are not risk management authorities. However they have a crucial role to play in flood risk management as their assets can be an important consideration in planning for flooding. Moreover they may have assets such as culverts information about which it is important to share with flood risk management authorities. They already maintain plans for the future development and maintenance of the services they provide and it is important that they factor in flood risk management issues into this planning process.
This will ensure that their assets and systems are resilient to flood and coastal risks and that the required level of service can be maintained in the event of an incident. Utility and
infrastructure providers may wish to invest time and resources into developing and delivering the local flood risk management strategy, to realise the significant benefits for them and their customers that follow from flood risks being effectively managed.
Property Owners and Residents
It is the responsibility of householders and businesses to look after their property, including protecting it from flooding. While in some circumstances other organisations or property owners may be liable due to neglect of their own responsibilities, there will be many occasions when flooding occurs despite all parties meeting their responsibilities. Consequently it is important that householders whose homes are at risk of flooding, take steps to ensure that their house is protected.
These steps include:
Check whether their household is at risk from flooding from the river, coast or local flood sources. Ensure that preparations have been made in the event of a flood. Take measures to ensure that their house is protected from flooding, either through permanent measures such as sealants in the wall or temporary measures such as sandbags or flood guards. Take measures to make sure the house is resilient to flooding so that if it does occur damage is limited.
Information on whether households are at risk can be provided by the Environment Agency and London Borough of Havering.
Information can also be found on the Environment Agency website here: http://maps.environment-agency.gov.uk/wiyby/wiybyController? x=357683.0&y=355134.0&scale=1&layerGroups=default&ep=map&textonly=off&lang=_e&to pic=floodmap. Residents can request a printed copy for their location, for personal use, by contacting their local Agency Office, or by calling the National Customer Contact Service on 0370 8506506 or [email protected]. Information about surface water flood risk is much harder to map but some rough information can be found in the Havering Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment.
The Environment Agency provides information on what to do to prepare a household for emergencies. This includes how to make a flood plan which will help you decide what practical actions to take before and after a flood.
The Environment Agency has a pamphlet which provides advice on how to make your house more resilient. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/292943/geho1009brdl-e-e.pdf.
Another valuable document for householders to refer to is The National Flood Forum’s Blue Pages Directory which provides information and advice on what products are available to help protect your home or business against flooding. It can be found here http://www.bluepages.org.uk/
In addition there is the National Floodline number of 0845 988 1188 . There is also the opportunity to register for the flood warning service at: https://fwd.environment-agency.gov.uk/app/olr/register
It is important when buying flood products that they have the Kitemark symbol or equivalent accreditation which shows that they have been tested properly. It is also strongly recommended that, when buying a household flood protection product, professional advice is sought from a building surveyor, architect or other independent professional.
Riparian Ownership
Householders or businesses whose property is adjacent to a river or stream or ditch are likely to be riparian owners with responsibilities. If your property backs out onto a river or stream then you are likely to be a riparian owner and own the land up to the centre of the watercourse. Your land registry details should confirm this.
Riparian owners have a right to protect their property from flooding and erosion but in most case will need to discuss the method of doing this with the Environment Agency. They also have responsibility for maintaining the bed and banks of the watercourse and ensuring there is no obstruction, diversion or pollution to the flow of the watercourse. Full details can be found in the EA document ‘Living on the edge’
Responsibilities of Communities
Flooding events can affect whole communities with households which do not suffer from internal flooding still potentially being trapped as roads are blocked or having to help support and provide shelter to their neighbours who have suffered from flooding.
Communities know better than anyone the level of flood risk that they face and can make important contributions to helping manage the levels of flood risk.
Reporting flood incidents
Officers from risk management authorities are not in a position to know about every flooding incident that occurs, particularly those which do not lead to flooding within properties. However records of flooding incidents which affected roads or entered the curtilage of people’s properties are important to record. They can indicate that there has been extensive flooding in relatively regular rainfall events which would warn that the properties are at risk in more extreme rainfall events. This information is crucial in building up cases for flood defence and flood resilience schemes which will require strong evidence of the flood risk to properties.
Community groups in areas which suffer from local flooding (i.e. surface runoff, groundwater and ordinary watercourses) should contact the Flood Investigation Officer (StreetCare) Havering Council to discuss how best they should record and report flooding incidents when they occur.
Flooding incidents caused by main rivers or the coast should be reported to the Environment Agency through their emergency floodline 0800 807060.
Helping residents to be aware of and manage the risk to their household.
Many residents may be unaware of the flood risk to their property if there has not been a flooding incident while they have lived there. Community groups residents associations etc can be the best way of letting residents know that they should be aware of flood risk and to check with London Borough of Havering and the Environment Agency as to the extent of the risk. Finding out through the community has the advantage of being provided the information in context so as to know the extent to which residents should be concerned.
Community Emergency Self-Help Plans
If a community is at risk from flooding it is advisable to create an Emergency Plan which details who can be contacted to lead and assist in an emergency, what equipment is available and where can be used as emergency accommodation.
Actions to improve flood risk in Havering A key aim of the Local Flood Risk Management Strategy is to establish a programme of actions that can be taken forward in order to meet the locally determined objectives and guiding principles of the strategy (p6-7). It is also important that the actions set out in this strategy are consistent with the objectives and guiding principles of the national strategy. Flood risk management actions included in the Local Flood Risk Management Strategy have been split into two categories:
Strategic Borough-wide strategic actions with the aim of following the guiding principles and meeting the overall objectives of this strategy and of the Environment Agency’s national strategy; and
Site specific management options that could be implemented within locally important flood risk areas in order to translate the aims of the overall strategic actions onto a local scale.
The site specific management actions should be decided through annual action plans which should be agreed at the spring meeting of the Havering Borough Flood Group for Flood Management.
Figure 5: Framework for actions to be established through the local strategy
Objectives and guiding principles
Havering Local Flood Risk Management Strategy Scale
High- Borough-wide level Actions
Site-level Locally important flood risk areas
Borough-wide strategic actions
A summary of proposed strategic actions which will be taken forward through the Havering Local Flood Risk Management Strategy is included below. These are consistent with the strategic objectives and guiding principles described in Chapter 3 as well as the guiding principles of the Environment Agency’s National Strategy. The proposed strategic actions are:
Improve understanding of local flood risk Adapt spatial planning policy to reflect local flood risk Raise community awareness Establish working framework between Risk Management Authorities Improve understanding of local flood risk One of the key findings of the Pitt Report into the causes of the 2007 floods was that there was insufficient understanding about the nature of surface water flooding in most parts of the country. This is true for Havering and building up this understanding is a key priority of the risk management authorities.
It is only through having a better understanding of where the greatest local flood risks are, what their causes are and who will need to be involved in the solution that it will be possible to accurately identify and assess feasible measures that could be implemented to reduce the risk of flooding in locally significant flood risk areas.
Once these measures have been identified and assessed it will be possible to apply for funding either through the Flood Defence Grant in Aid or through local funding. But until those measures have been assessed, effective measures cannot take place.
To build up this understanding requires taking proactive measures to investigate areas of flood risk as well as building up the systems and mechanisms so that future information is recorded and managed.
Proactive Measures
One of the most effective measures for increasing knowledge of local flood risk is to commission Surface Water Management Plans (SWMPs). An SWMP was produced for Havering in 2011. This was part of the GLA managed Drain London project with the assessment and carried out locally with Barking & Dagenham and Redbridge. The plan and action plan produced were specifically focused within Havering identifying Critical Drainage Areas and the effect of any surface water flooding, including any cross border involvement. The SWMP included detailed surface water modelling and an assessment of site specific mitigation measures. This also estimated costs attached to proposed schemes in areas and establishing feasible measures to mitigate the risk in specific locations. This action plan is the prime driver to assessing the order of priorities for any flood mitigation measures to be taken. In addition a number of grant applications have been included within the TFL LiP process as well as consideration through the Flood Defence grants in Aid (FDgiA) process.
In some areas of the Borough the lead local flood authority and relevant partners can work together towards investigating of all the significant features in the areas so that these can be
recorded and their condition and owner identified. This information will help identify what features must be kept as they currently are to prevent an increase in flood risk.
Recording and reporting flood incidents
Historically, there has not been an effective system for recording local flood incidents within Havering. The production of a database for recording information about flood incidents would be advisable to ensure that evidence of flooding and the outcomes and possible solutions could be recorded accurately resulting in targeted actions. More information can be found on p30 which details the Lead Local Flood Authority responsibilities around this. However for this to become an effective database requires all risk management authorities to commit to reporting flood incidents that they become aware of. This process could be extended to community groups or residents associations in areas where there is significant flood risk as they can often provide quicker and more thorough information than any risk management authority. There should also be further work done in how members of the public can easily and effectively report flood incidents.
One of London Borough of Havering’s main responsibilities under the Flood and Water Management Act (described in Section 19 of the Act) is to investigate flooding incidents within Havering and publish details of the investigation. The investigation must identify which risk management authorities have relevant flood risk management functions and whether each of those risk management authorities exercised those functions appropriately in response to the flood.
It is proposed to utilise the mechanism for flood investigation reporting to further investigate flooding and look into potential mitigation measures in key risk areas, as well as those that experience regular flooding problems. Although the funding for a large number of schemes may not be available, by taking the flood investigation one step further than is required under the Flood and Water Management Act, it could help support local buy-in and also possibly encourage a level of fundraising or community involvement in any proposed schemes. This will enable London Borough of Havering to increase their understanding of flood risk and current issues and be in a better position to implement improvement works. The proposed mechanism is described in Figure 14-2 below.
The process of flood recording and reporting is presently being dealt with through the Flood Risk Manager who identifies flooding incidents and at present investigates and records all through a database.
Figure 6: Improved mechanism of flood investigation
FLOOD EVENT Flood investigation (exceeding the set criteria)
Initial options assessment
Flood
Investigation Report Feasibility study
Community Funding mechanisms engagement
SOLUTION
Adapt spatial planning policy to reflect local flood risk
It is vital that local planning decisions now consider risk from surface water, ground water and ordinary watercourses during the planning process, in a similar way to how fluvial and tidal flood risk is currently assessed. The overall aim of this, linking in with a key aim of the national strategy, is to ensure that inappropriate development is avoided in areas where there is significant flood risk from local sources.
There are three key ways in which spatial planning policy should be adapted to reflect local flood risk. These are:
Introduction of a robust Sustainable Development System (SuDS) framework Inclusion of local flood risk concerns in all future Strategic Flood Risk Assessments Provision of new guidance within the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) New Technical Guidance for Flood Risk & Minerals to support NPPF. Local planning policy should place emphasis on the requirement for appropriate measures to reduce surface water runoff from all new development. Site specific Flood Risk Assessments should inform the detailed design of surface water systems for new development, particularly within those areas that have been identified at high risk of flooding through the Surface Water Management Plan and the Critical Drainage Areas included within.
Introduction of a robust Sustainable Development System (SuDS) framework (Deferred until 6th April 2015)
The Flood and Water Management Act gives London Borough of Havering new responsibilities as a SuDS Approval Body. The details of what this involves can be found on p34. The date for these powers to be commenced has not been agreed and an interim policy for dealing with SuDS is necessary.
For both the interim and once the new SuDS regime is in place it is crucial that there is a clear vision for how SuDS should be produced within Havering.
The necessity to introduce a design guide in order to identify the roles and responsibilities and how the implementation of the system will take place may need to be produced. The guide must provide information on the planning, design and delivery of attractive and high quality SuDS schemes and it should offer multiple benefits to the environment and community alike. It should also show that meeting these requirements need not be an onerous task and can help support development. Different LLFA’s have produced these and they can be found on line.
The standards that SuDS should meet and these are standards that should be captured in all future Strategic Flood Risk Assessments. They include the following principles:
Storage Volume
When planning the layout of SuDS, sites should take into account topography and make best use of low points for storage. As a minimum, adopted SuDS will be sized to contain all surface water volumes generated up to and including the 1 in 30 year critical rainfall event.
For rainfall events with a return-period in excess of 30 years (i.e. up to and including the 1 in 100 year rainfall event with an allowance for climate change) SuDS should ideally also be sized to contain all surface water volumes. However, if this is not possible, drainage designers must demonstrate how additional flows will be managed. Safe conveyance routes and overflow flood storage areas must be established for the 1 in 100 year rainfall event with climate change allowance.
Runoff Rate
The storage volume required within SuDS on a site will depend on the allowable rate of runoff from the site. Unlike developed areas, Greenfield sites produce no measurable runoff during small rainfall events (up to 10mm). In order to replicate the natural situation, SuDS should therefore be designed so that rainfall runoff in events of 5-10mm does not leave the site. Source control techniques such as green roofs, permeable paving and swales are recommended to achieve this. In larger events, if discharging to an existing surface water sewer, communications with Water and Sewerage Companies must be had to determine the allowable discharge rate before designing SuDS. . In all cases, including on Brownfield sites, runoff should where possible be restricted to the Greenfield 1 in 1 year runoff rate during all events up to and including the 1 in 100 year rainfall event with climate change. If it is deemed that this is not achievable, developers should seek to achieve 50% betterment on runoff from new developments on Brownfield sites. It is therefore recommended that for new and re-developments on Brownfield, where practicable (ground conditions etc), reasonable efforts should be made to provide up to 50%
reduction on existing runoff rates at peak times (unless this results in a runoff rate less than Greenfield).
In accordance with good practice guidelines included in the London Plan, it is suggested that Councils should also encourage the retention of soft landscaping in front gardens and should reduce, or at least not increase the amount of hard standing associated with existing homes. This will ensure that any redevelopment or new development does not negatively contribute to the surface water flood risk of other properties and instead provides a positive benefit to the level of risk in the area. It will also ensure that appropriate measures are taken to increase the flood resilience of new properties and developments in surface water flood risk areas, such as those identified as being locally important flood risk areas within this strategy document.
Interim Policy
The new SuDS regime has not yet been commenced into law (autumn 2012 anticipated). However SuDS are already being developed and it is important that there is clarity about what occurs in the interim.
The Environment Agency will retain its statutory consultee role on planning applications. If developers produce SuDS schemes to the required standards then London Borough of Havering is willing to adopt them using a commuted sum. Developers have no obligation until the new SuDS regime begin to produce SuDS to required standards. Havering can, if they choose, make conditions that SuDS schemes should be adopted by the Council but there is no obligation for developers to produce SuDS to standard before the new SuDS regime begins.
Inclusion of local flood risk concerns in Strategic Flood Risk Assessments
Strategic Flood Risk Assessments (SFRAs) look at flood risk at a strategic level on a local planning authority scale.
A new SFRA 2014 has been completed to update the 2007 document and inform the new Havering Local Plan. The Stage 1 SFRA assesses and maps all known sources of flood risk within the Borough and provide guidance on the application of the Sequential Test to locate future development primarily in low flood risk areas.
An increased scope Level 2 SFRA will be required at a later stage of the Local Plan preparation to facilitate the Exception Test and to assess proposed site allocations in areas that are at medium and high risk of flooding.
SFRAs are used to inform the Sustainability Appraisal of Local Plans by identifying where development will be acceptably safe from flood risk throughout the lifetime of the proposed development. By preparing SFRAs, local planning authorities will be able to undertake the sequential test, identify the level of detail required for individual Flood Risk Assessments (FRAs) and assess the response required for emergency planning purposes.
Because of the lack of information previously available, SFRAs formerly included little about Local Flood Risk from surface water, groundwater or ordinary watercourses. SFRAs in future should refer to flooding concerns identified in the Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment, further
analysis produced by London Borough of Havering and the record of flood incidents investigated by the Flood Risk Engineer should ensure that local flood risk, which threatens homes either through fluvial or coastal flood risk, is fully considered in deciding where is appropriate for development and where requires specific flood risk assessments.
Provision of new guidance through National Planning Policy Framework
As part of the rationalisation of the planning framework, Planning Policy Statement 25 which sets out the Government’s spatial planning policy on development and local flood risk has been replaced with a separate supporting document entitled Technical Guidance to the National Planning Policy Framework. The technical guidance provides additional guidance to local planning authorities to ensure the effective implementation of the planning policy set out in the NPPF on development in areas at risk of flooding and in relation to mineral extraction.
Revised and updated national planning practice guidance to support the NPPF and make it more accessible is being prepared and the Government launched the National Planning Practice Guidance website for consultation in August 2013. The website includes updated and revised guidance for flood risk and climate change. Following consultation and adoption by Government, the revised guidance will come into effect and replace the previous planning policy statements and other documents.
Website: http://planningguidance.planningportal.gov.uk/blog/guidance/
The Strategy welcomes any national guidance by DEFRA, the Environment Agency or another national organisation on the matter of flood risk as it is right for there to be national standards on this issue rather than local variation. Should any guidance be published, this would take precedence over the statements below.
Sequential test
The risk-based Sequential Test should be applied at all stages of planning. Its aim is to steer new development to areas at the lowest probability of flooding (Zone 1 or areas with no history or modelled risk of local flooding.
The Flood Zones are the starting point for the sequential approach. Zones 2 and 3 are shown on the Environment Agency Flood Map with Flood Zone 1 being all the land falling outside Zones 2 and 3. These Flood Zones refer to the probability of sea and river flooding only, ignoring the presence of existing defences.
The residual flood risk, (i.e. the flood risk considering the presence of existing defences) should also be considered in determining the viability of land for planning.
Strategic Flood Risk Assessments (SFRAs) (see Annex E) will refine information on the probability of flooding, taking local and other sources of flooding and the impacts of climate change into account. They will do this by considering the Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment and any further analysis or information on local flood risk collected by the Lead Local Flood Authority or other risk management authorities.
These will define areas into three types of flood risk area:
High (Flood Zone 3 or high levels of local flood risk)
Medium (Flood Zone 2 or medium levels of local flood risk) Low (Flood Zone 3 or low levels of local flood risk)
The SFRA will provide the basis for applying the Sequential Test, on the basis of the Zones in Figure 7. Where Fig.7 indicates the need to apply the Exception Test, the scope of the SFRA will be widened to consider the impact of the flood risk management infrastructure on the frequency, impact, speed of onset, depth and velocity of flooding within the Flood Zones considering a range of flood risk management maintenance scenarios. Where a SFRA is not available, the Sequential Test will be based on the Environment Agency Flood Zones and information from the Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment and supplementary local flood information.
The overall aim of decision-makers should be to steer new development to areas of low flood risk (i.e. Flood Zone 1 or areas with low flood risk). Where there are no reasonably available sites in Flood Zone 1, decision-makers identifying broad locations for development and infrastructure, allocating land in spatial plans or determining applications for development at any particular location should take into account the flood risk vulnerability of land uses and consider reasonably available sites in areas of medium flood risk (Flood Zone 2 or areas of medium local flood risk), applying the Exception Test if required.
Fig 7: Sequential Test classifications
Flood Risk Low Flood Risk Medium Flood High Flood Zone 3b Vulnerability Risk Risk ‘Functional classification Flood Plain’ Essential Appropriate Appropriate Exception Test Exception Test Infrastructure Required Required Water Appropriate Appropriate Appropriate Appropriate Compatible Highly Appropriate Exception Test Not permitted Not permitted Vulnerable Required More Appropriate Appropriate Exception Test Not permitted Vulnerable Required Less Appropriate Appropriate Appropriate Not permitted Vulnerable
Only where there are no reasonably available sites in area of low or medium flood risk should decision-makers consider the suitability of sites in High Flood Risk Areas (Flood Zone 3 or area of high local flood risk), taking into account the flood risk vulnerability of land uses and applying the Exception Test if required.
Within each Flood Risk Areas, new development should be directed first to sites at the lowest probability of flooding and the flood vulnerability of the intended use matched to the flood risk of the site, e.g. higher vulnerability uses located on parts of the site at lowest probability of flooding.
Raise community awareness Raising community awareness of flooding and local flood risk, particularly within locally important flood risk areas should be initiated as a priority. It is important to be able to communicate effectively and engage with local communities and members of the public in order to set realistic expectations and achievable outcomes of local flood risk management. The aims of this should tie in with the aims and objectives of the Havering Communications Strategy, but the overarching objective would be increasing knowledge and understanding of flooding and flood risk and informing residents how they can contribute to the effective management of flood risk. This follows one of the overall objectives of the local strategy of ensuring communities are aware of the level of risk that they face and the steps they need to take to manage the risk and also ties in with the objectives of the national strategy. Communicating the risk of flooding and raising awareness within local communities can be implemented in the short-term and provides a ‘quick win’ measure to overall flood risk management. This will mean residents are more aware of the flood risk across Havering and can encourage people to become more proactive within their community. As described in the Communications Strategy, increasing awareness can be achieved in a number of different ways including public consultation events, newsletters and online resources such as council websites and social media. The communications strategy sets out the following key messages:
Flood risk is not new, there will always be a risk of flooding and this will change through the influence of factors including climate change, the way we live, management of assets etc. Recent legislation has given London Borough of Havering new responsibilities to manage flood risk and it is taking a proactive approach, aiming to reduce the risk posed to local communities; Flood risk stems not just from coastal and main river sources but also from surface water and groundwater. While the nature of flooding varies, the potential impact on local communities is the same; Properties and businesses which have never suffered from flooding before may still be at significant risk when there is exceptional rainfall; Organisations involved in flooding (including the Council, Environment Agency, Thames Water and Anglian Water) have a duty to work and communicate together. The Local Flood Risk Management Strategy is currently being prepared and is due to be completed in early spring. This document will be available online and will form a basis to keep local communities informed of works that are underway; Stakeholders must work together to protect the local communities; this includes householders and businesses who can be pro-active and implement property protection measures themselves;
Awareness needs to be raised across different groups within Havering. The following audiences have been identified: 1. High awareness, direct risk 2. Low awareness, direct risk 3. Low awareness, indirect risk 4. Low awareness, no risk Those sitting in the high awareness, direct risk (Group 1) include communities or individuals who have suffered from, or come close to flooding in the past and are fully aware of the risks posed to their properties and themselves. This group require information about what steps are being taken and assurances that the organisations involved in addressing flood risk management are working together effectively to reduce the dangers. Low awareness, direct risk (Group 2) includes communities or individuals which are identified at risk of direct and potentially serious flooding. These people may not have experienced flooding recently and are unlikely to be aware of the risk, and are potentially concerned that being informed of the risk will increase their insurance premiums unnecessarily. This group requires careful consultation to ensure that they understand the levels of risk, what is being done about it and what they can do to help themselves. Low awareness, indirect risk members (Group 3) are not identified as being at risk of direct flooding to their properties. However, they may still be affected by flooding due to it restricting access to property and local services. This group does not require any specific actions, but it would be beneficial to have a general awareness of flooding and flood risk Low awareness, no risk members (Group 4) are at low risk of flooding. However, their actions may increase flood risk to others, for example through the obstruction of watercourses or paving over parts of their property which increases runoff to downstream areas. This group would also benefit from general awareness of flooding, but do not require any specific actions. Raising awareness is primarily the responsibility of London Borough of Havering as a Lead Local Flood Authority who will lead on the implementation of the communications strategy. Establish working framework with other Risk Management Authorities
As well as engaging with local communities and members of the public (as described above), it is also important to engage effectively with other Risk Management Authorities (defined under the Flood and Water Management Act). More information and guidance on this is included within the Communications Strategy which was prepared alongside this document and is included in Appendix 1 of this report.
As part of this process the Havering Partnership Group for Flood Management have been developed. There are also important scrutiny arrangements for the actions of risk management authorities through London Borough of Havering’s Environment Overview & Scrutiny Committee and the Environment Agency’s Regional Flood and Coastal Committees.
Havering Partnership Group for Flood Management
The Havering Partnership Group for Flood Management was formed in order to ensure that there is effective co-operation between the risk management authorities in Havering and that democratically elected members are fully involved in the decision making process. The partnership meets in private and is not an authorised decision-making body. It discusses key issues and scrutinises documents such as the Local Flood Risk strategy but produces only recommendations. Decisions can only be made by the relevant authorities and their own decision making process.
The partnership is chaired by the Havering Council Senior Officer responsible for flooding and has representatives from all relevant departments. These members are either the most appropriate senior representative from the appropriate service or those that have a specific responsibility for flood risk management. The External section also has representatives from Anglian Water, Thames Water, the Environment Agency and London Fire Brigade.
As well as the listed partners there will be a number of stakeholders who will be kept aware of the decisions and activities of the group and brought in to discuss issues where appropriate. These include the Highways Agency, Network Rail and Metropolitan Police.
The objectives of the partnership include:
Leading on public communications about issues surrounding flooding To collectively lobby central government to ensure that the resources necessary to meet obligations are provided To approve and scrutinise relevant policy and guidance produced by the Lead Local Flood Authority, including the Local Flood Risk Strategy.
The meeting is organised by the Havering Flood Risk Manager and supported by an officer steering group which has representatives from London Borough of Havering, the Environment Agency and Anglian Water. It reports to the Havering Partnership for Flood Management and is responsible for delivering reports and policies that group..
Environment Overview & Scrutiny Committee
Each local authority is required by law to establish an overview and scrutiny function to support and scrutinise the Council’s executive arrangements. Each overview and scrutiny committee has its own remit but they each meet to consider issues of local importance.
Their key roles are:
1. Providing a critical friend challenge to policy and decision makers. 2. Driving improvement in public services. 3. Holding key local partners to account. 4. Enabling the voice and concerns of the public.
The committees consider issues by receiving information from, and questioning, Cabinet Members, officers and external partners to develop an understanding of proposals, policy and practices. They can then develop recommendations that they believe will improve performance, or as a response to public consultations.
Committees will often establish Topic Groups to examine specific areas in much greater detail. These groups typically consist of between 3-6 Members and the review period can last for anything from a few weeks to a year or more to allow the Members to comprehensively examine an issue through interviewing expert witnesses, conducting research and site visits. Once the review group has finished its work it will send a report to the Committee that created it and it will often suggest recommendations to the executive.
The areas scrutinised by this Committee are:
• Environment • Transport • Environmental Strategy • Community safety • StreetCare • Parking • Social Inclusion • Scrutiny of relevant aspects of the LAA • Councillor Call for Action
Under the Flood and Water Management Act, they now have the power to review and scrutinise risk management authorities (including Thames Water, Anglian Water, and the Environment Agency) about their flood or coastal erosion risk management functions which affect Havering.
They also receive an annual report which has been approved by the Havering Partnership for Flood Management, which provides information about performance and progress over the last financial year and plans for the upcoming financial year. This is delivered to the Committee in April every year.
Regional Flood and Coastal Committees
Regional Flood and Coastal Erosion Committees are Environment Agency committees which consist of elected members from the relevant Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFAs) and independent members with relevant experience appointed by DEFRA. They have three key purposes: • To ensure there are coherent plans for identifying, communicating and managing flood and coastal erosion risks across catchments and shorelines • To promote efficient, targeted and risk-based investment in flood and coastal erosion risk management that optimises value for money and benefits for local communities. This includes managing the spending of both central government Flood Defence Grant in Aid (FDGiA) and Local Levy paid by Lead Local Flood Authorities. • To provide a link between the Environment Agency, LLFAs, other risk management authorities, and other relevant bodies to engender mutual understanding of flood and coastal erosion risks in its area.
Havering is part of the Thames Regional Flood and Coastal Committees:
The Thames RFCC is a committee established by the Environment Agency under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 (FWMA) and takes the place of the Thames Flood Defence Committee (FDC). It brings together members appointed by Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFAs) and independent members with relevant experience for three purposes
• To ensure there are coherent plans for identifying, communicating and managing flood and coastal erosion risks across catchments and shorelines ; • To promote efficient, targeted and risk-based investment in flood and coastal erosion risk management that optimises value for money and benefits for local communities; • To provide a link between the Environment Agency, LLFAs, other risk management authorities, and other relevant bodies to engender mutual understanding of flood and coastal erosion risks in its area. The composition and boundary maps of the Thames Regional Flood and Coastal Committee has now been approved by the minister. All meetings are open to the public.
Lead Local Flood Authority (Council)
Overview & Scrutiny Committee Regional Flood & Coastal CMT Cabinet Committee
Havering Havering Drain London Internal External Partnership Havering Partnership Group B&DB & D G Redbridge
Communities and Resources Children EA Adults and Main Rivers & Flood Housing
StreetCare Economic Regulatory Services Thames Development Water Public Sewer
Principal Planning Network Sustainability NHS PH(E) Engineer Rail
Building Reservoir National Traffic & Control (Heaton Essex & Natural Engineering Grange2) Suffolk England Grid
Emergency Public Planning Services – Anglian Essex Senior RSPB Engineering Cranham & Water Wildlife Drainage Upminster Trust
Development & Transport Planning London TFL Enforcement Transport
Highways London Fire Highways Agency Brigade
Fig. 8 Membership of Regional Flood and Coastal Committees
RFCC Havering Boroughs covered Other Lead Local Flood Authorities Representative All the London Boroughs, Surrey, Barking & Dagenham Hertfordshire, Thurrock, Oxfordshire, Thames Havering has one Buckinghamshire, Luton, Slough, Central Bedfordshire, Bracknell Forest, representative Redbridge Hampshire, Reading, West Berkshire, Swindon, Warwickshire, Havering Gloucestershire, Northamptonshire, Wiltshire and Windsor & Maidenhead.
Funding Decisions
Regional Flood and Coastal Committees are the key decisions making body for attributing funding from both the central government Flood Defence Grant in Aid (FDGiA), local levies which are raised from Lead Local Flood Authorities and general drainage charge which are raised from landowners (in Anglian East and Anglian Central only). These are the key streams of funding for flood defence schemes from fluvial, coastal and local flooding and an important one for flood resilience schemes. Consequently these committees have a hugely important bearing on which areas receive support for flood defences.
Scrutiny
Regional Flood and Coastal Committees scrutinise the Environment Agency’s work. They also examine documents that Havering Council and other Lead Local Flood Authorities produce under the Flood Risk Regulations including the Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment. It is essential that risk management authorities work together to achieve the functions set out in recent legislation. Effective sharing of information between risk management authorities can go a long way towards this aim.
Section 14 of the Flood and Water Management Act gives London Borough of Havering, as Lead Local Flood Authority, the power to request information in connection with its flood risk management functions. It also states that information requested must be provided in the manner and within the period specified in the request.
The Environment Agency and DEFRA have prepared a draft guidance document on information sharing, which aims to facilitate effective partnerships and ensure information is
shared between relevant authorities. London Borough of Havering will use the principles of this document for future data requests to other risk management authorities within London.
‘Information’ can cover any data, documents or facts recorded in any form and includes paper files, notes, reports, databases, spread sheets, drawings and plans, photographs and videos, electronic documents, emails, etc. There is a vast amount of data, in these different forms, held by a number of different risk management authorities within London; the challenge is identifying what information exists and where it is held. This process was initiated through the work completed as part of London Borough of Havering’s recent Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment where a large amount of data was collected from different risk management authorities across London and the North East Boroughs especially. This data has provided the overall evidence base of flood risk information which will inform future flood risk management work. As part of the Havering Partnership for Flood Management, data sharing agreements are in place between key stakeholders.
London Borough of Havering will aim to put in place a clear record of what information has been collected and where it is available for future use. This information will be contained in an overall data register. Site specific, flood risk management actions The following actions have been recognised as being appropriate for tackling flood risk in areas identified by the Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment or any further analysis done by London Borough of Havering. They are consistent with both the objectives and principles of the Havering Strategy for Flood Risk Management and the National Strategy for Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management. Encourage implementation of flood resilience measures and property protection schemes Implement sustainable drainage and source control measures Manage overland flow paths Review land management methods Review asset management and maintenance methods Achieve wider environmental benefits
Encourage implementation of flood resilience measures and property protection schemes
It is recommended that a general approach to improving community resilience is adopted across the study area, particularly in areas that have been identified as being at greater risk (Tier 1 and Tier 2 areas of locally important flood risk). This should include encouraging property resilience through the installation of individual property protection measures, such as raised driveways, the use of flood gates or air brick covers, as well as a general increase in awareness and preparedness for a flood event.
Options for funding of property protection measures should also be investigated, including the possibility of offering grants or subsidies for individual properties who are interested in installing such measures.
Improving community resilience can also be linked to establishing a flood warning system and improving emergency planning procedures as well as a broad effort to raise community awareness and increase understanding of local flood risk issues (both described in more detail above). It can also tie in to the planning policy measure, as requirements for flood resilience could link in to planning policy in flood risk areas.
Implement sustainable drainage and source control measures
The implementation of sustainable drainage and source control measures should be encouraged, particularly within locally important flood risk areas. For example, encouraging the installation of permeable paving or other SuDS measures in key risk areas, as an alternative to traditional impermeable surfaces, will act as a source control measure to reduce the amount of runoff entering the drainage network, and therefore reducing the overall risk of flooding from an extreme rainfall event. There are also environmental benefits that come with the installation of these systems, such as a reduction in diffuse pollution reaching watercourses.
This ties into the planning policy measure, as requirements for these systems could be encouraged as part of the planning process. Raising awareness of simple measures and systems that can be installed at their homes is another way of improving the resilience of local communities to flooding. Local residents and property owners may, for example, be encouraged to install simple systems such as water butts to capture roof runoff which would reduce the amount of surface water entering the drainage system.
Manage overland flow paths The flow of surface water can be managed through the designation of parts of the existing highways as Urban Blue Corridors. This concept aims to manage the conveyance of surface water across an area of the catchment through the redesign of the urban landscape to create specific channels to convey surface water. This can be achieved through increasing kerb heights and property thresholds to retain water on designated sections the highway. This action could be combined with existing highways maintenance and improvement projects and funding which would make it more cost-effective.Figure 9: Functionality of Urban Blue Corridors under different flood conditions
Normal Situation Flood Situation 1 in 100 Year Flood Source: Developing Urban Blue Corridors Scoping Report March 2011
However, further investigation, most likely through the SWMP completed as part of the Drain London Project, will be required in order to ascertain details of flood depths and extents in key areas which can be used to support and inform the implementation of this concept within Havering. Further support and guidance on the use of ‘Urban Blue Corridors’ can be sought from DEFRA.
Review land management methods
Review land management methods and provide guidance to land-owners and land-users on methods of land management that will help reduce the flood risk in key areas.
The generation of surface water runoff can be reduced through the implementation of certain agricultural practices. For example, land can be ploughed perpendicular to the slope of the land, reducing the effect of channelling of water over the land when it rains. Other land management strategies could also be adopted such as increasing tree coverage, which is known to delay the flow of water through a catchment.
In addition, the reduction of runoff from agricultural surfaces may reduce the diffuse pollution flowing down into watercourses, and on into the sea, which will help to meet Water Framework Directive requirements for water quality standards.
Liaison with the National Farmers Union will help the council and farmers work together on this common aim, as runoff from farmland is also detrimental to the farmers due to loss of nutrients.
Review asset management and maintenance methods
It is important to review the maintenance and management of drainage infrastructure and assets. This will happen for significant flood risk asset (such as culverts, weirs, etc) through the development of a borough wide Asset Register to meet the requirements of the Flood and Water Management Act.
It is also very important that this is completed for ordinary watercourses within Essex in order to ensure that responsibility for maintaining them is undertaken. Currently the ownership, management and maintenance of ordinary watercourses is unclear and many ordinary watercourses within the borough are overgrown and generally in poor condition.
It is also particularly important that assets within the highways network, especially those within locally important flood risk areas, are maintained efficiently. This will require close collaboration with the highways department within the borough and riparian owners (in the case of private roads) in order to manage this.
Achieve wider environmental benefits
It is important that actions that are taken forward from this strategy also focus on achieving wider environmental benefits, in addition to the social and economic benefits of reducing flood risk. Environmental benefits could include supporting Water Framework Directive targets or improving particular environmental features within Havering.
More information on environmental objectives and how benefits can be achieved is included in the Environmental Objectives section [p87].
Resource management
It is important that the local strategy sets out how the proposed actions and measures will be funded and resourced within Havering. It is also important to identify what funding mechanisms are available to London Borough of Havering to pay for the flood risk management measures that are set out in the strategy. Effective practical implementation of flood policy objectives requires adequate resources both for the management and response activities of lead local flood authorities as well as for capital projects.
The following chapter provides a summary of available forms of funding that are being considered by London Borough of Havering and will also help to identify any further actions that will be needed to ensure that particular funding alternatives are feasible.
This chapter will also look at addressing the skills gap within risk management authorities in Havering. It is acknowledged that lead local flood authorities, and other risk management authorities, will need to expand their flood risk management skills and capacity in order to deliver their new responsibilities under the Flood and Water Management Act. This local strategy will help to identify what skills will need to be targeted to ensure that the plans set out in this strategy can be delivered and implemented successfully.
Current funding mechanisms
Figure 10 below identifies the various streams of funding open to risk management authorities. These are discussed further below.
Figure 10: Funding streams for risk management authorities (source: EA National Strategy)
Public funding
With less direct government funding available, it is clear that changes are needed to the traditional approaches to funding flood risk management. The current situation of government flood risk management funding is summarised below:
DEFRA expects to spend around £2.16 billion on flooding and coastal erosion over the next four years (this includes funding provided to the Environment Agency). Although the exact budgets are still being finalised, this will lead to an average of £540 million a year for the next four years.
This is approximately 8% less than spend by DEFRA over the previous four years (an average of £590 million a year). These savings will be partly offset through efficiencies in delivery and procurement and better risk-based prioritisation of work.
The £2.16 billion consists of roughly £1 billion capital (approximately £250 million per year) and around £1.16 billion resource which includes ‘programme’ spend, such as maintenance, flood forecasting, and incident response, and ‘admin’ spend, such as staff and back office costs.
DEFRA remains committed to fully funding lead local flood authorities (including London Borough of Havering) to carry out their new responsibilities under the Flood and Water Management Act. Up to £36 million a year will be provided directly to lead local flood authorities (this will start at £21 million in 2011/12 due to a phasing-in process).
For London Borough of Havering, this will equate to £132,000 in the 2011/12 fiscal year and £209,600 in 2012/13 and thereafter to spend on local flood risk management activities. This grant for 2015 is £56,000.
On top of the £2.1 billion from DEFRA, local authorities will have money available through a formula grant from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). This is expected to be around £100 million in 2010/11. This money will support the ongoing flood risk management responsibilities, including drainage activity and the maintenance of ordinary watercourses and coastal defences, and payments of levies to the Environment Agency (local levy) and internal drainage boards (special levy).
The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) have indicated that local authorities are spending around £30million each year on additional schemes funded through the Regional Flood Defence Committee’s local levy. To date this has only been available for coastal or fluvial schemes, but since the Flood and Water Management Act and the creation of Regional Flood and Coastal Defence Committees (now known as RFCCs), this money is now also available for surface water schemes.
Funding to Lead Local Flood Authorities through Area Based Grants
Funding for Lead Local Flood Authorities to meet their new responsibilities has been allocated through Area Based Grants or local services support grants. The money is not ring fenced so individual authorities must decide how much of this grant to spend, subject to limits on overall budgets and the need for investment on other priorities. The amount of money allocated to individual local authorities varies based on the overall risk within the relevant area. As described above, London Borough of Havering will receive £132,000 in the 2011/12 fiscal year, rising to £209,500 in 2012/13 and thereafter until (2015).This grant at the publication of this strategy is now £56,000. This money has been made available to support the council with its ongoing local flood risk management activities.
Capital funding through ‘Payment for Outcomes’ and ‘Flood Defence Grant in Aid’ schemes
The Pitt Review recommended that ‘Government should develop a scheme that allows and encourages local communities to invest in flood risk management measures’ (recommendation 24). DEFRA has been consulting on the future of funding for flood risk management from November 2010. The consultation document2 recognised that although the current system is efficient and delivers good value for money for the taxpayer, it also limits local input and responsibility and leaves many schemes with a long wait to secure funding. Under the new system, all schemes would be offered a fixed subsidy based on the benefits delivered when the outcomes are achieved; hence the term ‘Payment for Outcomes’.
This new approach is proposed for all capital maintenance and defence projects seeking funding from April 2012. The scheme aims to encourage communities to take more responsibility for the flood risk that they face and aims to deliver more benefit by encouraging total investment to increase beyond the levels that DEFRA alone can afford. The new approach will see funding levels for each scheme (provided by DEFRA through Flood Defence Grant in Aid) relating directly to benefits, in terms of the number of households protected, the damages being prevented plus other scheme benefits such as environmental benefits, amenity improvement, agricultural productivity and benefits to business. In addition to these elements, payment rates for protecting households in deprived areas will be higher so that schemes in these areas are more likely to be fully funded by the Government3. Under this system some schemes will receive complete funding, if the benefits significantly outweigh the costs, and for others partial funding would be available. It is hoped that this approach would encourage people to find cheaper ways to achieve positive outcomes and/or find other funding mechanisms to pay the remaining cost of the scheme.
The underlying principles and objectives behind the new national funding system include:
2 Future funding for flood and coastal erosion risk management, Consultation on the future Capital Grant in Aid allocation process in England, November 2010, DEFRA 3 For further information on how levels of depravation will be assessed, refer to the Index of Multiple Depravation commissioned by the Department for Communities and Local Government
Encourage an increase in total investment in flood risk management by operating authorities, beyond levels provided by central Government alone, as recommended in the Pitt Review; Enable more local choice within the system and encourage innovative and cost- effective options to be promoted; Rather than some projects being fully funded and others not at all, now some funding will be available to all potential projects; Funds from central government should prioritise protecting those most at risk and least able to help themselves; All flood and coastal erosion projects should be treated equally based on the benefits delivered and damages avoided, regardless of the type of risk of the risk management authority involved. The general taxpayer should not pay to protect new development in areas at risk of flooding, now or in the future; Greater local input and decision making should not come at the expense of creating a stable pipeline of projects; All investment should be made within a nationally consistent framework to take account of policies and findings within CFMPs and SWMPs; Maintain the widespread take-up of flood insurance by helping to keep insurance affordable through risks being managed properly.
Figure 11 illustrates the ‘Payment for Outcomes’ approach and the importance of the local levy in fully funding flood defence and maintenance schemes. Payment for outcomes puts a strong emphasis on the need for external contributions. London Borough of Havering will continue to establish partnership working with key stakeholders including:
DEFRA and the Environment Agency; Water Companies and OFWAT; European Union funding streams; NGOs; Private sector developers; Highways Agency; and Network Rail.
Figure 11: The ‘Payment for Outcomes’ approach and importance of the local levy
Source: DEFRA Consultation Document (page19) London Borough of Havering will take the lead partner role and will:
Identify projects; Plan projects; Establish fees required; Outline responsibilities;
Funding through the Community Infrastructure Levy
The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) came into force nationally in April 2012.It can provide local authorities with an alternative source of potential funding towards the cost of flood defence schemes. It allows local authorities to raise funds from new development in their area in order to contribute towards the cost of the impact that development has on local infrastructure. The levy is based on the concept that almost all development has some impact on infrastructure and services, so it is fair that development should contribute towards the cost of maintaining or upgrading local infrastructure. It is estimated that the introduction of the levy has the potential nationally to raise around £1billion a year of funding towards local infrastructure by 20164. Local authorities are required to use funding secured for infrastructure to support the development; it can be used to construct new infrastructure, increase the capacity of existing infrastructure or repair failing existing infrastructure. The Planning Act 2008 includes a broad definition of the infrastructure
4 Community Infrastructure levy: An overview. Department for Communities and Local Government. December 2011
that can be covered by this scheme including transport, flood defences, schools, hospitals and parks. London Borough of Havering is currently preparing its own CIL and reviewing how this funding can be used to contribute towards the cost of flood alleviation schemes.
Funding through the European Union
European Union funding is available through the Interreg scheme. As surface water management plans are created across the study area, options proposals form these reports will be used to inform future proposals to the RFCC.
Many regions in Europe are facing similar challenges related to e.g. globalisation, demographic change, energy supply and climate change. With the "Interregional Cooperation Programme INTERREG IVC", the EU provides regions with a framework for the exchange of experiences between regional and local institutions from different countries in the EU27, Norway and Switzerland on these issues. This takes the form of projects in which partners build on their respective experience to develop approaches and instruments that improve the efficiency and effectiveness of regional development policies and contribute to economic modernisation.
The Interregional co-operation programme covers all EU-Member States, Norway and Switzerland, under the European Territorial Co-operation objective, co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Priority 2 targets environment and risk prevention, such as natural and technological risks, water management, Waste prevention and management, biodiversity and preservation of natural heritage, energy and sustainable transport, cultural heritage and landscape.
Private funding Section 106 funding – Developer Contributions
Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 allows a local planning authority, such as London Borough of Havering, to enter an agreement with a landowner or developer in association with the granting of planning permission. A Section 106 agreement is used to address issues that are necessary to make a development acceptable, such as supporting the provision of services and infrastructure. Planning obligations, or Section 106 planning agreements, are legal agreements between local planning authorities and developers, or unilateral undertakings made by developers, in the context of the grant of planning permission. Planning obligations are intended to make development acceptable, which would otherwise be unacceptable in planning terms. Havering’s Planning Obligations Supplementary Document (SPD) was adopted in February 2013 to ensure that development contributes both financially and ‘in-kind’ to necessary infrastructure and services. The SPD sets out a standard tariff charge for new residential
development in the borough. Other Section 106 agreements are negotiated on a case-by case basis. One of the recommendations of ‘Making Space for Water’ was that local planning authorities should make more use of Section 106 agreements to ensure that there is a strong planning policy to manage flood risk. This means that any flood risk which is caused by, or increased by, new development should be resolved and funded by the developer. A good example of how Section 106 agreements can be used to collect contributions from developers within Havering is described in the Weymouth case study below.
Case study 1: Weymouth Flood Defence Contributions Policy
Weymouth Flood Defence Contributions Policy is a good example of a proposed scheme to collect financial contributions from new development in order to fund flood defences in Weymouth town centre.
Under the proposed scheme, developers would make a payment towards flood defence schemes using a tariff basis that ensures all new development in the town centre makes a contribution. The contributions policy is expected to deliver around £4million by 2030. Contributions must be secured through a legal agreement such as a Unilateral Undertaking or a Section 106 Agreement.
The proposed tariff is summarised in the table below:
Unit size Tariff Flood risk vulnerability classification Residential Essential infrastructure FULL PAYMENT 1 and 2 bedrooms £2,250 Highly vulnerable infrastructure FULL PAYMENT 3 bedrooms £2,500 More vulnerable infrastructure FULL PAYMENT 4+ bedrooms £2,750 Less vulnerable infrastructure HALF PAYMENT Commercial Water compatible development HALF PAYMENT Per 100m2 £3,000 Funding from developers will be the primary mechanism for financing the flood defence scheme in this case. As more money is collected, it provides a much enhanced business case on which to bid for capital funding from the government.
Local fundraising
In addition to contributions from developers, another important funding mechanism will come from local fundraising from the local communities and businesses who stand to benefit from the proposed flood defence Schemes. Fundraising may appear to be a daunting task but the best place to start is with who stands to benefit from the project. Some examples of success stories include: Hereford (Midlands region): Asda contributed £2m as part of the planning conditions for a supermarket in the town, in addition to constructing £440m of flood defence. The total cost of the scheme was £7.5m and it provides protection to 196 properties including 25 listed buildings. East Hanney (Thames region): Volunteers cleared weeds from a local brook, increasing the brook’s capacity, and also constructed a flood defence bank and footpath. The Environment
Agency provided soil, the hire of two mini-excavators and two dump trucks. The local authority paid for coir rolls used to help stabilise the new bank. Bawdsey (Anglian region): In 2007 a group of local landowners and residents formed the East Lane Trust to raise £2.2m to implement a coastal protection and flood defence scheme for a 250m section of coast. The money was raised by selling plots of land in nearby villages. In 2007, the government granted special permission to allow 26 homes to be built on the plots which were not previously available for residential development. The money raised was given to the District Council to commission a sustainable coast protection scheme which was completed in summer 2009 A scheme in North Yorkshire aims to help homeowners to protect their properties with a number of flood protection products including door guards and brick covers. The Parish Council (through EA support) has provided 2/3 of the costs and homeowners the remaining 1/3. Additional support is provided to low income families. The EA funding has come from the local levy fund which is raised from Council tax. Other sources of funding DEFRA is currently producing a good practice guide to support LLFAs called ‘Solutions for joint funding of surface water schemes’. This project will explain the funding mechanisms and time cycles, approval processes of key partners and benefits of joint funding of local flood risk management. The following fictitious examples are taken from DEFRA’s consultation document on ‘Future funding for flood and coastal erosion risk management’5
5 Future funding for flood and coastal erosion risk management, Consultation on future Capital Grant in Aid allocation process in England, November 2010.
Case Study 2: Rural Defence project
A small market town is at a 1 in 20 annual risk of being flooded, and a £2million scheme has been prepared by the LLFA that would protect 75 homes to a 1 in 200 year standard, achieving £10 million in long term benefits.
The comparatively low cost benefit ratio means that the project has in the past been deferred and remains low priority.
Under payment for outcomes, the scheme has the potential to attract approximately £900,000 of the necessary funds through Flood Defence Grant in Aid (rather than the full £2 million). In addition, the scheme will be supported by the Regional Flood and Coastal Committee whose members vote to provide a further £500,000. With a reduced and clear funding goal to aim for the LLFA and local community groups work hard to raise the remaining £600,000 required to allow the scheme to go ahead.
Case Study 3: City Centre defence scheme
A city centre, located downstream of the market town above, is at risk of flooding with an annual likelihood of 1 in 100. A scheme to protect the 1,000 households at risk and provide a 1 in 200 standard of protection for fifty years has been prepared by the Environment Agency, and will cost £50 million to deliver. If the scheme goes ahead, £600 million of long-term benefits would be realised by the area.
Under the existing system the project may be fully-funded due to its high benefit to cost ratio (12 to 1) and the large number of households being protected. Other schemes in the area, such as in Case Study 1, would need to be deferred if this scheme goes ahead fully-funded.
Under the payment for outcomes system, the city-centre scheme may be offered £35 million (70%) based on the outcomes and benefits being delivered. Recognising this, the Environment Agency revises the proposal in collaboration with local partners and the community, and manages to find cost savings of 10% - reducing costs to £45m. Recognising the benefits of the scheme going ahead, local flood risk partners and other community interests manage to secure the remaining £10 million. As a result, the scheme goes ahead and the £10 million local investment realises the £600 million benefits, representing a return of £60 for each £1 spent by the local area. Government, in spending £35 million, achieves an effective 17 to 1 return for the taxpayer.
As a result of the cost savings and contributions found towards the city centre project, both schemes are able to proceed within the FDGiA available, with a further £14.1 million saved and made available for other projects.
Environmental objectives The implementation of flood risk management options and measures within Havering provide a significant opportunity to improve the natural, rural and built environment across the borough. This includes helping to provide better environments for residents and businesses as well as improving biodiversity and local habitats for wildlife. The Flood and Water Management Act states that the local strategy must specify how it will contribute to the achievement of wider environmental objectives and sustainable development. Environmental objectives that the local strategy will contribute to through the effective management of local flood risk include:
Encourage source control measures (such as SuDS) which can help improve water quality through reducing runoff and therefore reducing diffuse pollution entering watercourses and drainage systems – this will also help to meet Water Framework Directive targets for water quality within Havering;
Water Framework Directive targets (under Article 4.1) which are relevant to this local flood risk management strategy include:
o Ensure no deterioration of surface water and groundwater and the protection of all water bodies;
o Achieve ‘good’ ecological status by 2015 for surface water and groundwater; o Reduction of pollution and hazardous substances in surface water and groundwater;
o Reverse any upwards trends of pollutants in groundwater; and o Achieve standards and objectives set for protected areas. Enhance biodiversity and habitat creation within any future capital schemes, such as SuDS or flood storage areas. These schemes can also be used within urban areas to provide green spaces for amenity;
Prioritise solutions to manage flooding from local sources that work with natural processes, encourage biodiversity enhancements and minimise adverse effects to the local environment;
Mitigation of and adaptation to climate change through local flood risk management measures;
Protect Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) within Havering. As a flood authority, London Borough of Havering has a duty (under Section 28G of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981) to take reasonable steps to further the conservation and enhancement of SSSIs;
Meet Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) targets to ensure no loss of habitat through local flood risk management works. As a Lead Local Flood Authority, London Borough of
Havering has a duty (under Section 40(1) of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006) to conserve biodiversity within Havering;
Link to Green Infrastructure Strategy to achieve common goals and environmental objectives. Sustainable Development
All flood risk management authorities must aim to make a contribution towards the achievement of sustainable development. DEFRA have defined Sustainable Development in a document that can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/69447/pb13640-sdg-guidanc e.pdf
What is Sustainable Development?
The Brundtland Commission (1987) defines sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. Sustainable development recognises the concern that we are living beyond our means, unsustainably exceeding the capacity of the planet to support our needs. There are three generally recognised and interlinking components, known as the “three pillars” of sustainable development. Long term growth depends on the recognition and incorporation of all three into decisions:
o Economic sustainability o Environmental sustainability o Social sustainability
The Government’s vision for sustainable development outlines ten themes:
Sustainable development in government Building the big society Business planning Green economy Protecting and enhancing the natural environment Operations and procurement commitments Fairness and improving wellbeing Transparency and public accountability National and international sustainable development
Sustainable Development in the Context of Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management
Taking into account the safety and wellbeing of people and the ecosystems on which they depend Using finite resources efficiently and minimising waste Avoid exposing current and future generations to increased risk Improving resilience of communities, economy and environment to current and future risk.
How can Sustainable Development be achieved?
Considering a range of alternative ways to reduce risk o Increasing awareness and preparedness of communities and businesses, as well as improving emergency warning and response procedures o Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) o Planning and development control to reduce impact of new developments on risk
Considering how flood and coastal erosion risks can be managed in a manner which provides multiple benefits Transparency in trade-offs in different forms of sustainability when reaching decisions Open appraisal of positive and negative impacts of management options, particularly when publicly funded Recognition of role that sustainable development plays in all scale of projects, including local areas Integrated working between Flood Risk Authorities and local communities The establishment of priorities based on leading local issues whilst recognising wider societal objectives.
Conclusion.
The management of this Strategy will be at the forefront of Flood Risk Management within the London Borough of Havering. The duties introduced through the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 as a Lead Local Flood Authority relies heavily upon a robust and workable partnership approach to flood risk management and resilience. The importance of working together to ensure protection of the Community as well as the protection of vital infrastructure draws together the need for Resilience yet a responsibility on all to assist in the mitigation of Flood Risk within the Borough.
This Strategy has been written to assist with the formulation and introduction of robust operational plans and to raise flood management issues as part of the core resilience and response within the London Borough of Havering.
Signed………WA Clark………………… Signed…P Keyes…….. EP & BC Manager Head of Regulatory Services
Signed……B Wenman…… Signed……A Blake-Herbert…… Head of Streetcare Director Communities & Resources.
Signed……R Ramsey…………………… Leader of the Council Councillor R Ramsey.