Staffordshire County Council and Covers the Area in Which They Serve As Minerals Planning Authority – I.E
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New Minerals Local Plan for Staffordshire Strategic Flood Risk Assessment of allocated sites Blank page New Minerals Local Plan for Staffordshire Strategic Flood Risk Assessment of allocated sites Contents 1. Executive Summary ...................................................................................................... 1 2. Introduction ................................................................................................................... 3 3. Planning Policy Context ................................................................................................ 3 4. Profile of the plan area .................................................................................................. 4 5. Overview of the aims of the Minerals Local Plan ........................................................... 6 6. Minerals development and flood risk ............................................................................. 6 7. Assessment of flood risk ............................................................................................... 7 8. Implementing the Minerals Local Plan ......................................................................... 15 9. Conclusions and recommendations ............................................................................ 15 10. Appendix: Plans of sites allocated in the new Minerals Local Plan .............................. 16 New Minerals Local Plan for Staffordshire Strategic Flood Risk Assessment of allocated sites Blank page Strategic Flood Risk Assessment for of allocated sites New Minerals Local Plan for Staffordshire 1. Executive Summary 1.1.1. The new Minerals Local Plan for Staffordshire* (‘the new Plan’) identifies suitable land and provides the planning policies that will be used to determine planning applications to develop Staffordshire’s minerals resources during the period 2015 to 2030. Staffordshire has a rich and varied range of mineral resources, and the Plan will allocate new areas for the extraction of sand and gravel, shale and anhydrite. 1.1.2. The National Planning Policy Framework recognises the significance of flooding and aims to steer new development towards those areas of lowest flood risk (the Sequential Test), while ensuring that any new development does not increase the flood risk elsewhere. 1.1.3. This Strategic Flood Risk Assessment, presents a brief overview of the pattern of flooding across the county, sets out the aims of the Plan, explains their implications for flooding, and demonstrates the Plan can be delivered in a way that is consistent with the overall aims of flood management. 1.1.4. We have examined all of the sites that we propose to allocate in the Plan, in order to determine which flood zone(s) they fall within. Approximately half of the sites are in Flood Zone 1, so the risk of flooding is low. Such locations are fully consistent with the Sequential Test. 1.1.5. However, minerals can only be worked where they are found, and there are not sufficient suitable potential sites in Flood Zone 1 to meet the predicted demand, so additional sites will need to be found elsewhere. 1.1.6. Reserves of sand and gravel are concentrated in the river valleys, and many fall within areas of higher flood risk. Half of the sites allocated in the new Plan are located in such areas. Sand and gravel working are considered to be water compatible development, so such locations are still consistent with national guidelines. Care needs to be taken to ensure that the more sensitive parts of the development, such as offices, are located in areas of lower flood risk wherever possible. 1.1.7. The potential for restoring mineral workings to contribute to flood risk management is also discussed. 1 Strategic Flood Risk Assessment for of allocated sites New Minerals Local Plan for Staffordshire 2. Introduction 2.1.1. This document reports on the Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA) which has been carried out in parallel with the development of a new Minerals Local Plan for Staffordshire. It summarises the current flood risks in Staffordshire, and explains how these have been taken into account when identifying potential locations for new or extended quarrying to meet the need demand for minerals within the county and further afield. 3. Planning Policy Context 3.1.1. The SFRA forms part of the evidence base supporting the production of the new Minerals Local Plan for Staffordshire. That plan is being produced by Staffordshire County Council and covers the area in which they serve as Minerals Planning Authority – i.e. the geographical area of the county with the exception of the City of Stoke-on-Trent (a unitary authority) and that part of the north east of the county which falls within the Peak District National Park. 3.1.2. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) recognises the importance of the planning process in directing development away from areas at highest risk, but where development is necessary, making it safe without increasing flood risk elsewhere. 3.1.3. The key principle for guiding decision making is the Sequential Test, which attempts first to guide development to Flood Zone 1, then Zone 2, and then Zone 3. 3.1.4. This is also informed by the Flood Risk Vulnerability Classification, which sets out the types of development that are acceptable within each level of flood risk. This is set out in Table 1 Table 1: Flood risk vulnerability classification and appropriateness for each flood zone Flood Zone Flood risk vulnerability classification Essential Highly More Less Water infrastructure vulnerable vulnerable vulnerable compatible Zone 1 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Zone 2 ✓ Exception Test ✓ ✓ ✓ required Zone 3a Exception Test ✗ Exception Test ✓ ✓ required required Zone 3b Exception Test ✗ ✗ ✗ ✓ required Key: ✓: Development is appropriate ✗: Development should not be permitted. 3.1.5. The NPPF also requires Local planning authorities to undertake a Strategic Flood Risk Assessment to fully understand the flood risk in the area to inform Local Plan preparation 3 New Minerals Local Plan for Staffordshire Strategic Flood Risk Assessment of allocated sites 3.1.6. There are two levels of Strategic Flood Risk Assessment, and the level required depends on the circumstances of the Plan 3.1.7. A Level 1 Assessment should be carried out in local authority areas where flooding is not a major issue and where development pressures are low. The Assessment should be sufficiently detailed to allow application of the Sequential Test to the location of development and to identify whether development can be allocated outside high and medium flood risk areas, based on all sources of flooding, without application of the Exception Test. The Environment Agency and lead local flood authorities can advise on the key outputs from a Level 1 Strategic Flood Risk Assessment. 3.1.8. Where a Level 1 Assessment shows that land outside flood risk areas cannot appropriately accommodate all the necessary development, it may be necessary to increase the scope of the Assessment to a Level 2 to provide the information necessary for application of the Exception Test where appropriate. A Level 2 Strategic Flood Risk Assessment should consider the detailed nature of the flood characteristics within a flood zone including: • flood probability; • flood depth; • flood velocity; • rate of onset of flooding; and • duration of flood 3.1.9. A Level 2 Strategic Flood Risk Assessment should also reduce burdens on developers, in particular, at windfall sites, in the preparation of site-specific flood risk assessments. See the advice on Strategic Flood Risk Assessment for further information. 3.1.10. The development considered within the new Minerals Local Plan is largely classified as either “Less Vulnerable”, or “Water Compatible”, so identifying appropriate locations is unlikely to require the justification of a Level 2 SFRA. 4. Profile of the plan area 4.1.1. The majority of the county falls within the River Trent catchment, with a narrow strip of land along the western edge of the county draining into the River Severn, and a very small corner in the north falling within the Weaver / Gowy catchment. 4.1.2. The River Trent and tributaries, the Sow, Blythe, and Dove flow almost in parallel, in a generally south easterly direction across the county, The River Trent is joined by the River Tame near Alrewas, and then flows in a north easterly direction, towards Burton-upon-Trent, where it is joined by the River Dove, and onwards towards the Humber and the sea. 4.1.3. The most extensive flood zones fall within the south east of the county, following the Trent / Tame valley, though there are also significant areas of flooding along all of the tributaries, particularly the River Dove. 4.1.4. Flooding within the county has been studied in some detail, with Level 1 SFRAs prepared for each of the District / Borough councils, with Level 2 SFRAs carried out where flood risk represents a particularly significant constraint on identifying sufficient development land. (See Table 1) 4 Strategic Flood Risk Assessment for of allocated sites New Minerals Local Plan for Staffordshire Table 2: SFRA documents prepared by Staffordshire District and Borough Councils District / Borough Local Plan SFRA Link Newcastle-under-Lyme North Staffordshire SFRA for Local http://www.newcastle- Development Framework staffs.gov.uk/Documents/Environm Level 1 ent/Planning/SFRA%20Executive% Executive Summary 20Summary%20Level%201.pdf July 2008 Staffordshire Moorlands Staffordshire Moorlands District Council http://www.staffsmoorlands.gov.uk/