2019-10-21 3954 Flood Risk Sequential Test Final V1.1
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MEADOWLEA, DOBBS WEIR ROAD, HODDESDON FLOOD RISK SEQUENTIAL TEST Final Report v1.1 October 2019 Weetwood Services Ltd Park House Broncoed Business Park Ffordd Byrnwr Gwair Mold CH7 1FQ 01352 700045 [email protected] www.weetwood.net Meadowlea, Dobbs Weir Road, Hoddesdon Flood Risk Sequential Test Report Title Meadowlea, Dobbs Weir Road, Hoddesdon Flood Risk Assessment Final Report v1.1 Client Antellas Developments Ltd Date of issue 21 October 2019 Prepared by Owen Astbury BSc (Hons) GradCIWEM Graduate Project Manger Checked and Adam Edgerley BSc (Hons) approved by Technical Director This document has been prepared solely as a Flood Risk Sequential Test for Antellas Developments Ltd. This report is confidential to Antellas Developments Ltd and Weetwood Services Ltd accepts no responsibility or liability for any use that is made of this document other than by Antellas Developments Ltd for the purposes for which it was originally commissioned and prepared. ©Weetwood 3954/FRST/Final/v1.1/2019-10-21 www.weetwood.net i Meadowlea, Dobbs Weir Road, Hoddesdon Flood Risk Sequential Test Contents Page Signature Sheet i Contents ii List of Figures & Appendices iii 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................. 1 1.1 Purpose of Report ................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Structure of the Report ............................................................................................ 1 2 PLANNING POLICY AND GUIDANCE ...................................................... 2 2.1 National Planning Policy ........................................................................................... 2 2.2 Environment Agency Guidance ................................................................................. 2 2.3 Local Planning Guidance .......................................................................................... 3 3 SITE DETAILS .................................................................................... 1 3.1 Site Location and Proposed Development ................................................................... 1 3.2 Review of Flood Risk ............................................................................................... 1 4 FLOOD RISK SEQUENTIAL TEST - METHODOLOGY ................................. 3 4.1 Overview of Process ................................................................................................ 3 4.2 Geographical Area................................................................................................... 3 4.3 Source of Alternative Sites ....................................................................................... 3 4.4 Testing Alternative Sites .......................................................................................... 3 5 APPLICATION OF THE SEQUENTIAL TEST .............................................. 5 5.1 Identification of Alternative Sites .............................................................................. 5 5.2 Assessment of Alternative Sites ................................................................................ 5 5.3 Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 6 6 SUMMARY ......................................................................................... 7 ©Weetwood 3954/FRST/Final/v1.1/2019-10-21 www.weetwood.net ii Meadowlea, Dobbs Weir Road, Hoddesdon Flood Risk Sequential Test List of Figures Figure 1: Site Location ................................................................................................ 1 Figure 2: Flood Map for Planning ................................................................................... 2 List of Appendices Appendix A: Discounted Sites - Deliverability Appendix B: Discounted Sites - Suitability Appendix C: Discounted Sites – Additional Detailed Assessment ©Weetwood 3954/FRST/Final/v1.1/2019-10-21 www.weetwood.net iii Meadowlea, Dobbs Weir Road, Hoddesdon Flood Risk Sequential Test 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 PURPOSE OF REPORT Weetwood Services Ltd (‘Weetwood’) has been instructed by Antellas Developments Ltd to prepare a Flood Risk Sequential Test for the proposed redevelopment of two existing residential dwellings into six residential dwellings at a site located off Dobbs Weir Road, Hoddesdon. This report presents the methodology and outcome of the application of the Sequential Test for the residential aspect of the development. The Flood Risk Sequential Test has been undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) using the approach set out within the Environment Agency (EA) Demonstrating the Flood Risk Sequential Test for Planning Applications guidance note 1. An earlier version of this report was produced in January 2018 which was submitted to Epping Forest District Council (EFDC) in support of the planning application. This report aims to address the comments raised by EFDC and accounts for additional potential alternative sites. This report presents the methodology and outcome of the application of the Sequential Test. 1.2 STRUCTURE OF THE REPORT The report is structured as follows: Section 1 Introduction and report structure Section 2 Presents national and local flood risk and planning policy Section 3 Presents background information relating to the development site, development proposals and outlines the flood zone at the site Section 4 Presents the sequential assessment methodology Section 5 Presents application of the assessment to the alternative sites Section 6 Presents a summary of key findings 1 Demonstrating the flood risk Sequential Test for Planning Applications, version 3.1, Environment Agency, April 2012 ©Weetwood 3954/FRST/Final/v1.1/2019-10-21 www.weetwood.net 1 Meadowlea, Dobbs Weir Road, Hoddesdon Flood Risk Sequential Test 2 PLANNING POLICY AND GUIDANCE 2.1 NATIONAL PLANNING POLICY The aim of the NPPF is to ensure that flood risk is taken into account at all stages in the planning process and is appropriately addressed. Paragraph 155 of the NPPF states that 'innapropritate development in areas at risk of flooding should be avoided by directing development away from areas at highest risk (whether existing or future). Where development is necessary in such areas, the development should be made safe for its lifetime without increasing flood risk elsewhere '. Paragraph 158 of the NPPF states that ‘the aim of the sequential test is to steer new development to areas with the lowest risk of flooding. Development should not be permitted if there are reasonable available sites appropriate for the proposed development in areas with a lower risk of flooding’. Paragraph 19 of the National Planning Practice Guidance (NPPG) states that ‘the Sequential Test ensures that a sequential approach is followed to steer new development to areas with the lowest probability of flooding. The flood zones as refined in the Strategic Flood Risk Assessment for the area provide the basis for applying the Test. The aim is to steer new development to Flood Zone 1 (areas with a low probability of river or sea flooding). Where there are no reasonably available sites in Flood Zone 1, local planning authorities in their decision making should take into account the flood risk vulnerability of land uses and consider reasonably available sites in Flood Zone 2 (areas with a medium probability of river or sea flooding), applying the Exception Test if required. Only where there are no reasonably available sites in Flood Zones 1 or 2 should the suitability of sites in Flood Zone 3 (areas with a high probability of river or sea flooding) be considered, taking into account the flood risk vulnerability of land uses and applying the Exception Test if required.’ 2.2 ENVIRONMENT AGENCY GUIDANCE The EA guidance note on the flood risk sequential test (see Section 2.3 ) outlines the approach that should be undertaken when applying the Sequential Test. The first stage consists of defining the ‘evidence base’ to be considered during applications of the Test. This involves defining a geographical search area in order to assess which sites should be included, and then identifying the source of ‘reasonably available’ alternative sites. Once the alternative sites have been identified, these should be compared to the application site, both on flood risk grounds and in relation to a number of other potential constraints. Following this assessment, if there are no ‘reasonably available’ alternative sites within an area at lower risk of flooding, the Sequential Test is considered to have been addressed. ©Weetwood 3954/FRST/Final/v1.1/2019-10-21 www.weetwood.net 2 Meadowlea, Dobbs Weir Road, Hoddesdon Flood Risk Sequential Test 2.3 LOCAL PLANNING GUIDANCE • EFDC Combined Policies of Epping Forest District Local Plan (1998) and Alterations (2006), February 2008 • EA - Demonstrating the Flood Risk Sequential Test for Planning Applications guidance note, version 3.1, April 2012 • EFDC Strategic Land Availability Assessment (SLAA) July 2016 • EFDC Local Plan 2011-2033 (Submission Version 2017) ©Weetwood 3954/FRST/Final/v1.1/2019-10-21 www.weetwood.net 3 Meadowlea, Dobbs Weir Road, Hoddesdon Flood Risk Sequential Test 3 SITE DETAILS 3.1 SITE LOCATION AND PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT The approximately 0.14 hectare (ha) site (hereafter referred to as the ‘application site’) is located to the south of Dobbs Weir Road and to the east of Eldon Road, at Ordnance Survey National Grid