Dorset County Council County Hall Colliton Park DORCHESTER T1 1XJ
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i Local Flood Risk Management Strategy for Dorset LFRMS Technical Report Dorset County Council County Hall Colliton Park DORCHESTER T1 1XJ LOCAL FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR DORSET TECHNICAL REPORT: Dorset County Council’s Local Flood Risk Management Strategy for surface water, groundwater and ordinary watercourses Technical Report • The widespread flooding experienced across Dorset in recent years demonstrates the devastating effects that flooding has on people and their homes and communities. • As a Lead Local Flood Authority, Dorset County Council’s Flood Risk Management team has a duty to produce and maintain a Local Flood Risk Management Strategy. The Strategy sets out Dorset County Council’s vision of: “working together to manage local flood risk in Dorset so communities are resilient and prepared for flooding”. • Dorset County Council’s Local Flood Risk Management Strategy is available in two formats: Technical Report (this document) and a summary document. • Public consultation on the Draft Local Flood Risk Management Strategy took place between the 26th June and 4th August 2014. • Comments and feedback from the consultation have been considered and modifications have been be implemented into the document where appropriate. Director for Environment and the Economy Mike Harries August 2014 ii Local Flood Risk Management Strategy for Dorset LFRMS Technical Report NON TECHNICAL SUMMARY Although flooding is a natural phenomenon, the way in which we interact with and manage our environment can help to minimise the worst effects of flooding, and in some cases may help to positively enhance our resilience to flood incidents. Equally, if we do not properly consider the risks of flooding and take steps to manage them, then the problem will worsen as the effects of climate change take hold. The location and severity of flooding, particularly flooding caused by locally extreme rainfall, is very difficult to predict. It is not possible to prevent all flooding and dealing with uncertainties that are effectively out of our control are challenging. However, flood risk is something that can be understood and its effects are generally predictable. This means that up to a point the impacts can be mitigated and response / recovery can be more effective. This local flood risk management strategy covers the geographical area of Dorset excluding Bournemouth and Poole (i.e. the administrative area of Dorset County Council. Whilst this strategy acknowledges that flooding is a natural process, Dorset County Council will over time increase its level of understanding of local flood risk management and of the level of risk posed by flooding. This requires the need to consider community safety and environmental impacts associated with flooding. The strategy and future updates will be informed by ongoing programme reviews, economic impact risk assessments, information from real flooding events and the latest technical guidance. Dorset County Council (as a Lead Local Flood Authority) will be coordinating and partnering with stakeholders and risk management partners to manage local flood risk and contribute towards sustainable development. The strategy will encourage Flood Risk Management Authorities in Dorset (Table 1) to manage local flooding in a coordinated way. Analysis of the surface water flood maps displayed on the Environment Agency website) suggests that in Dorset, 35,545 receptors (including 22,300 properties) are at risk of surface water flooding in a 1 in a 200 year flood; and 15,794 receptors are at risk of surface water flooding in a 1 in a 30 year flood Additionally, many properties within Dorset are at risk from groundwater flooding. Dorset’s unique geography gives the county a range of challenges regarding flood risk. The relatively steep clay catchments in the west of the county are at risk from extreme flash flooding, while the chalk catchments have a tendency to respond more slowly to rainfall. The nature of groundwater flooding means that in certain communities, flooding can last for long periods of time. The multiple and prolonged flooding in some communities can extend the recovery process for residents and businesses which can have significant impacts upon the local economy and health of the community. The dispersed nature of flooding across rural areas in Dorset means that large capital schemes may not be feasible, so individual property level protection solutions may be considered. The most cost effective and practicable solution requires communities to work together to develop flood plans to mitigate and reduce the risks of flooding. Dorset has a good network of flood wardens and flood action groups whose work has reduced the impact of flooding to lives and properties on numerous occasions. This work needs to be extended across the county. Dorset’s Local Flood Risk Management Strategy has been developed by Dorset County Council’s Flood Risk Management team in collaboration with other Flood Risk Management Authorities. The strategy has considered: (i) historical flood records; (ii) information from mapping and modelling; (iii) previous flood management priorities; and (iv) evidence from flooding. Objectives, measures and actions have been developed to realise the strategy’s vision of: “Working together to manage local flood risk in Dorset so communities are resilient and prepared for flooding”. The strategy sets out roles and responsibilities of Flood Risk Management partners within the county, highlighting the position of Dorset County Council as the Lead Local Flood Authority under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. The strategy contains five key objectives: Objective 1: Understand flood risk across Dorset (Section 2); Objective 2: Manage the likelihood and impact of flooding (Section 3); Objective 3: Help Dorset’s communities manage their own flood risk (Section 4); Objective 4: Ensure flood risk is considered in local land development proposals (Section 5); Objective 5: Improve flood prediction, warning, response and post flood recovery (Section 6). Future flooding across Dorset is inevitable with the frequency and magnitude of flood incidents expecting to increase due to climate change. The objectives outlined within the strategy are intended to coordinate, minimise and manage these impacts. Key considerations include community safety, iii Local Flood Risk Management Strategy for Dorset LFRMS Technical Report economic and environmental impacts and ways to progress partnership working and contributions to deliver local flood alleviation schemes to reduce the impact of local sources of flooding. Contents NON TECHNICAL SUMMARY.................................................................................. III CONTENTS ..............................................................................................................IV List of Figures..................................................................................................................vi List of Tables...................................................................................................................vi 1 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Background to Flood and Water Management Act............................................... 1 1.2 Dorset’s Local Flood Risk Management Strategy ................................................ 5 1.3 Consultation and engagement ............................................................................. 8 2 OBJECTIVE 1: UNDERSTAND FLOOD RISK ACROSS DORSET.................... 9 2.1 Type and location of flood risk in Dorset .............................................................. 9 2.2 Legislative, guidance documents, strategies and plans relating to Flood Risk Management ................................................................................................................. 24 2.3 Existing Flood intelligence for West Dorset........................................................ 34 2.4 Existing Flood intelligence for Weymouth and Portland ..................................... 39 2.5 Existing Flood intelligence for North Dorset ....................................................... 42 2.6 Existing Flood intelligence for East Dorset......................................................... 45 2.7 Existing Flood intelligence for Purbeck............................................................... 48 2.8 Existing Flood intelligence for Christchurch........................................................ 51 2.9 Flood Frequency ................................................................................................ 54 2.10 Working together to gain a better understanding of flood risk across Dorset (Objective 1).................................................................................................................. 60 3 OBJECTIVE 2: MANAGE THE LIKELIHOOD AND IMPACTS OF FLOODING 62 3.1 Roles and Responsibilities of Flood Risk Management Authorities and stakeholders.................................................................................................................. 62 3.2 Key Stakeholders responsible for flood risk management ................................. 66 3.3 Flood reporting ................................................................................................... 69 3.4 Working together to manage the likelihood and impacts of flooding across Dorset 78 4 OBJECTIVE 3: HELP DORSET’S COMMUNITIES MANAGE THEIR OWN FLOOD RISK ..........................................................................................................