Northumbria River Basin District Flood Risk Management Plan 2015 - 2021 PART A –Background and River Basin District wide information
March 2016
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Published by: Environment Agency Further copies of this report are available Horizon house, Deanery Road, from our publications catalogue: Bristol BS1 5AH www.gov.uk/government/publications Email: [email protected] or our National Customer Contact Centre: www.gov.uk/environment-agency T: 03708 506506
Email: [email protected]. © Environment Agency 2016 All rights reserved. This document may be reproduced with prior permission of the Environment Agency.
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Northumbria River Basin District Flood Risk Management Plan December 2015
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This plan has been prepared by the Environment Agency with input from North Yorkshire County Council
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Foreword
The 2013/14 and 2015/16 winter storms and flooding had significant impacts on some communities, businesses, infrastructure, rural areas and the environment. Evidence suggests there could be more extremes in the weather with a changing climate leading to more frequent and more severe flooding. During December 2015, Storms Desmond, Eva and Frank brought record breaking rainfall levels and significant flooding to some parts of the UK. Over 19,000 homes and businesses were flooded, with thousands more affected by loss of power supply and travel disruption. Existing flood defences played an essential part in protecting thousands of homes during December with 12,500 benefitting during Storm Desmond and 10,900 during Storm Eva. Support is in place for affected communities, business and the agricultural sector, along with a programme of inspections and repairs to damaged defences. These December 2015 flood events have emphasised the need to be sure we have the very best possible plans in place for flood management across the whole country. Risk Management Authorities (RMAs) are committed to producing Flood Risk Management Plans (FRMPs) required by the EU Floods Directive. This FRMP is an important part of meeting that objective and aligns with the Defra Strategy and guiding principles of the National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy. The FRMP will provide the evidence to support decision making. The FRMP will also help promote a greater awareness and understanding of the risks of flooding, particularly in those communities at high risk, and encourage and enable householders, businesses and communities to take action to manage the risks. The highest priority is to reduce risk to life. Measures (actions) in individual FRMPs do not all have secured funding and are not guaranteed to be implemented. Money is allocated to all RMA measures in the same way, based on current Government policy that gives the highest priority to lives and homes. This FRMP brings together for the first time measures to address all sources of flooding in Northumbria. It is based on the most up-to-date information available at the point of publication. Measures in the FRMP are the starting point for RMA decision making and delivery. As part of on- going strategic planning additional measures will be included in RMAs and other partners work programmes between 2015 - 2021, although the FRMP will not be updated. FCRM strategic planning is a continuous process and informs RMA decision making and will be the basis for the 2nd cycle FRMPs. This document has been produced in consultation with professional partners. The Flood Risk Management Plan (FRMP) sets out the proposed measures to manage flood risk in Northumbria River Basin District from 2015 to 2021. This plan should be read in conjunction with the following:
Lead Local Flood Authority Local Strategies listed in Annex 1 In England, RMAs include the Environment Agency, Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFAs), district councils (where there are no unitary authorities), internal drainage boards, water companies and highway authorities. These RMAs work in partnership with communities to reduce the risk of flooding. The Environment Agency would like to thank the organisations listed on the previous pages for their contributions and feedback during consultation. Flood risk in England will continue to change as a result of a growing population and a changing climate. There are many ways to manage flood risk including maintaining and building new flood defences, building flood resilient homes and working more closely with nature to restore flood plains. Flood risk management planning is not new and RMAs have been able to draw on the experience of partners and earlier plans. Following the December 2015 floods, Defra announced a National Flood Resilience Review, to assess how the country can be better protected from future flooding and increasingly extreme weather events. The review is looking at climate modelling, infrastructure, resilience and future investment strategy. Government is also working to strengthen or establish partnerships in the areas most flood affected to encourage a more integrated approach to managing risk across the
5 of 75 whole catchment. These Partnerships are considering improvements to flood defences, upstream options to help slow the flow and surface water runoff, and how planning and design of urban areas can help reduce flood risk. They are also aiming to build stronger links between local residents, community groups and flood management planning and decision making. The resulting actions from the Local Flood Partnerships in Cumbria and Yorkshire will complement the measures in the relevant FRMPs and the learning from this approach will be shared across the country. In England, the Government is investing £2.3bn on 1,500 flood defence schemes between 2015- 2021. Investment in flood risk management infrastructure not only reduces the risks of flooding but also supports growth by helping to create new jobs, bringing confidence to areas previously affected by floods and creating and restoring habitats. The FRMP also sets out how these proposed measures can contribute to improving the environment and how they support the objectives of River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) and specifically the Northumbria RBMP that the Environment Agency has produced in parallel with this FRMP. Both flood risk management and river basin planning form an important part of a collaborative and integrated approach to catchment planning for water. Building on this essential work, and in the context of Defra’s 25-year environment plan, we aim to move towards single plans for the environment over the next cycle. These will be on a catchment basis and will draw together and integrate objectives for flood risk management, water management, and biodiversity, with the aim of maximising the multiple benefits that can be achieved.
Steve Moore
Director of Operations, North and East
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Contents
Glossary and abbreviations ...... 9 The format of the flood risk management plan ...... 11 The Layout of this document ...... 11 Section 1: What is flood risk and who manages it ...... 11 Section 2: What is a Flood Risk Management Plan ...... 11 Section 3: How the Environment Agency has developed the plan ...... 11 Section 4: how to manage risk ...... 12 Section 5: Getting to know the river basin district ...... 12 Section 6: Key Flood risk issues in the river basin district ...... 12 Section 7: the sub-areas ...... 12 Section 8: Conclusions, objectives and measures for the Northumbria River Basin District ...... 12 Section 9: implementing the plan, monitoring and reporting ...... 12 Find out more ...... 12 1 What is flood risk and who manages it? ...... 13 What is the likelihood of this happening and what does this mean?...... 13 Roles and Responsibilities ...... 14 Existing flood management schemes ...... 16 Flood Risk Information ...... 16 Flooding from rivers and the sea ...... 17 Flooding from reservoirs ...... 17 Flooding from surface water ...... 17 2 What is a Flood Risk Management Plan? ...... 18 What is the flood risk management plan for? ...... 18 Why are flood risk management plans being prepared? ...... 18 What the plan does ...... 18 What types of flood risk are included in the flood risk management plan? ...... 20 3 How the plan has been developed...... 22 The approach to developing flood risk management plans ...... 22 Consultation and engagement ...... 23 Objective setting ...... 23 Six year investment programme ...... 24 Long term Investment Scenarios ...... 24 Flood and coastal risk management and agriculture ...... 25 Strategic Environmental Assessment and Habitats Regulations ...... 25 How flood risk management plans have been co-ordinated with river basin management planning (RBMP) ...... 25 4 How to manage risk ...... 26 National flood and coastal erosion risk management strategy for England ...... 26 Measures for managing risk ...... 27 7 of 75
Flood risk management activities ...... 27 Working with Communities ...... 29 Partnership Working ...... 29 Catchment based approach...... 30 5 Getting to know the Northumbria River Basin District ...... 32 Introduction ...... 32 Water ...... 32 Flood risk management systems and drainage...... 32 Climate and climate change adaptation ...... 34 Coastal erosion risk management ...... 35 Society and health ...... 36 Land use ...... 36 Economic activity ...... 38 Recreation and tourism ...... 38 Infrastructure ...... 39 Landscape ...... 39 Biodiversity ...... 40 Cultural heritage ...... 40 Geology ...... 41 Soil ...... 41 6 Key Flood Risk Issues in the Northumbria River Basin District ...... 43 Flood History ...... 43 Flood Risk from Rivers and the Sea ...... 45 Flood Risk from reservoirs ...... 53 Flood risk from surface water ...... 57 Flood risk from groundwater ...... 58 Flood risk from sewers ...... 59 7 Sub-areas in the Northumbria river basin district ...... 60 Introduction ...... 60 Flood Risk Areas ...... 60 Management catchments ...... 60 8 Conclusions, objectives and measures to manage risk for the Northumbria river basin district ...... 62 Conclusions ...... 62 Objectives to manage risk for the Northumbria river basin district ...... 65 Measures across the Northumbria river basin district ...... 66 Flood Risk Management Plan contribution to broader benefits ...... 68 9 Implementing the plan ...... 74 The Catchment based approach ...... 74 Monitoring delivery of measures ...... 74
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Glossary and abbreviations
AONB Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Catchment The watershed of a surface water river system CaBA Catchment based approach: an approach to environmental planning that focuses on local engagement and partnerships CFMP Catchment Flood Management Plan Coastal Groups Voluntary coastal defence groups made up of maritime district authorities and other bodies with coastal defence responsibilities. Cross Border Set up under The Flood Risk (Cross Border Areas) Regulations Advisory Group 2012 (SI No. 1102). A statutory group made up of representatives (CBAG) from SEPA, Environment Agency and local authorities within the cross border areas DCLG Department for Communities and Local Government Defra Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs EIA Environmental Impact Assessment EPR Environmental Protection Regulations EU European Union FCERM Flood and coastal erosion risk management Floods Directive The European Floods Directive (2007/60/EC) on the assessment and management of flood risks Flood Risk Area Areas where the risk of flooding from local flood risks is significant (FRA) as designated under the Flood Risk Regulations. Fluvial A term used to refer to the processes associated with rivers and streams FRM Flood Risk Management FRMP Flood Risk Management Plan – plan produced to deliver the requirements of the Flood Risk Regulations Government The term government is used within this report to refer to Defra (the Department for Environment, Flood and Rural Affairs) and Welsh Government Groundwater Occurs when water levels in the ground rise above the natural flooding surface. Low-lying areas underlain by permeable strata are particularly susceptible Ha Hectares HLS Higher Level (Environmental) Stewardship HRA Habitats Regulations Assessment: an assessment undertaken in relation to a site designated under the Habitats and Birds Directives Km Kilometres LDF Local Development Framework LLFA Lead Local Flood Authority Local FRM Local flood risk management strategy produced by LLFAs under Strategy the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 Main river A watercourse shown as such on the main river map, and for which the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales has responsibilities and powers MSFW Making Space for Water National FCERM National flood and coastal erosion risk management strategy: these Strategy are strategies prepared under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, by the Environment Agency for England and by Welsh Government for Wales NNR National Nature Reserve Ordinary All watercourses that are not designated Main River, and which are watercourses the responsibility of Local Authorities or, where they exist, Internal
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(OW) Drainage Boards PFRA Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment – these were required to be published by December 2011 and were the first stage in delivering the Regulations Ramsar Wetlands of international importance designated under the Ramsar Convention Reservoir A natural or artificial lake where water is collected and stored until needed. Reservoirs can be used for irrigation, recreation, providing water supply for municipal needs, hydroelectric power or controlling water flow Risk Organisations that have a key role in flood and coastal erosion risk management management as defined by the Act. These are the Environment authorities Agency, Natural Resources Wales, lead local flood authorities, (RMAs) district councils where there is no unitary authority, internal drainage boards, water companies, and highways authorities RFCCs Regional Flood and Coastal Committees River Basin These are the reporting units to the European Commission for the District (river Water Framework Directive and the Floods Directive. basin district) RBMP River Basin Management Plan – plan required by the European Water Framework Directive River flooding Occurs when water levels in a channel overwhelms the capacity of the channel SAC Special Area of Conservation SAM Scheduled Ancient Monument SAMP System Asset Management Plan SEA Strategic environmental assessment SFRA Strategic Flood Risk Assessment SMP Shoreline Management Plan SPA Special Protection Area SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest SuDS Sustainable Drainage Systems Surface water Flooding from rainwater (including snow and other precipitation) flooding which has not entered a watercourse, drainage system or public sewer SWMP Surface Water Management Plan UKCIP United Kingdom Climate Impact Projections
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The format of the flood risk management plan
Flood Risk Management Plans have been divided into four sections to help readers identify and access information relevant to them. This is Part A. The plan is divided into four parts:
Name Audience Summary Document For those who a high level overview of the plan
Part A: Background and river basin For those who need some legislative district wide information background and river basin district wide, high level information Part B: Catchment Summaries For those who want the detail of the sub- areas and flooding statistics. This section includes the catchments based on Water Framework Directive (WFD) management catchments, Flood Risk Areas (identified through the Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment) and other strategic areas across the river basin district. Part C: Appendices For those who want to see the detailed program of work for individual communities
This is Part A, Background and river basin district wide information – this explains what FRMPs are and how the Environment Agency have developed them and then describes the Northumbria river basin district. The other parts of the flood risk management plan are located on gov.uk (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/northumbria-river-basin-district-flood-risk- management-plan )
The Layout of this document Section 1: What is flood risk and who manages it This explains what flood risk is, who is responsible for managing the risk and what their roles are. Section 2: What is a Flood Risk Management Plan What a FRMP is, why the Environment Agency is producing a FRMP and describes the kind of information that is included in the FRMP. Section 3: How the Environment Agency has developed the plan This describes how the Environment Agency, in partnership with LLFAs and other risk management authorities (RMAs) have prepared this FRMP.
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Section 4: how to manage risk This describes some of the terminology used within the FRMP, such as ’conclusions’, ’objectives’ and ‘measures’, and how they relate to flood and coastal erosion risk management. Section 5: Getting to know the river basin district This introduces the Northumbria river basin district. The Environment Agency also introduce the ‘sub-areas’ that further divide the river basin district. Section 6: Key Flood risk issues in the river basin district The flood and coastal erosion risks are set out for the river basin district in section 6. Section 7: the sub-areas Introduces each of the sub-areas in turn. This section outlines the catchments based on Water Framework Directive (WFD) management catchments, which make up the river basin district. Section 8: Conclusions, objectives and measures for the Northumbria River Basin District Sets out the risk conclusions, objectives and measures for the river basin district. Section 9: implementing the plan, monitoring and reporting Sets out the proposals for implementing the plan, including co-ordination with the implementation of the RBMPs prepared under the WFD. Section 9 concludes with how the measures will be monitored and reported. Find out more Throughout this document you will be directed via hyperlink to more detailed sources of information using 'find out more’ boxes.
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PART A 1 What is flood risk and who manages it?
The Flood and Water Management Act (2010) defines flooding as any case where land not normally covered by water becomes covered by water. Flood risk is a combination of two components: the chance (or probability/ likelihood) that a location will flood from any source or type of flooding, and the impact (or consequence) that the flooding would cause if it occurred. Flood risk management is generally concerned with reducing harm which might take the form of property damage or physical injury to people and wildlife. However, flooding can also have beneficial effects too, in particular for wetland wildlife as well as some types of agriculture that are water dependent.
Risk Likelihood Impact = x
Figure 1 what is flood risk?
Risk captures the severity of, or related consequences produced by, a flood event. Impacts can be social, economic and environmental, for example the number of properties flooded and the level of associated economic damages. The consequences of a flood depend on the level of exposure and the vulnerability of those affected. What is the likelihood of this happening and what does this mean? Probability (or chance) is a measure of the likelihood that a defined event will occur. The probability of a flood event is typically defined as the relative frequency of occurrence of that flood being equalled or exceeded. Probability can be expressed as a fraction, percentage, a decimal or description, and should always make reference to a time period. For example, the industry refers to a 1 in 100 chance of flooding in any given year or a 1% annual probability of flooding, which both refer to the same likelihood. Assessing impacts of flooding prior to an event usually involves estimating the potential impact of flooding on people, property and the environment. The theoretical probability of flooding is illustrated by the Environment Agency Flood Maps which show flood risk for rivers and the sea, surface water and reservoirs. Flood models which are the basis for our flood maps use uniform rainfall scenario (the same amount of rainfall falling across the country), whereas in reality rainfall rates vary greatly from one town to another. It is not possible to prevent all flooding, but there are a variety of actions which can manage these risks and their impacts on communities. Flood risk managers must identify all potential options to manage flood risk and balance the needs of communities, the economy and the environment. Risk management authorities should work in partnership with each other and communities to manage flood risk, ensuring that communities are part of the decision making process and understand and actively prepare for the risks. By working together risk management authorities should actively seek opportunities to coordinate risk management, encourage partnership funding and deliver multiple benefits.
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Roles and Responsibilities Table 1 and 2 show the RMAs involved in flood risk management in Northumbria river basin district and their roles and responsibilities. The responsibilities for managing flooding in the UK is divided between different risk management authorities (RMAs) as defined in the Flood and Water Management Act. RMAs have powers and duties to manage the different forms for flooding that can occur as shown in Table 1. The Environment Agency is responsible for taking a strategic overview of the management of all sources of flooding and coastal erosion. Following the December 2015 floods Defra is looking at how this strategic overview role can be strengthened at the catchment scale to promote a more integrated approach to managing the water environment. Table 1: Summary of responsibilities for risk management authorities
Water Highways Risk Source EA LLFA District Company Authority Main River The Sea Surface Water Surface Water (on or coming from the Highway)
Sewer Flooding Ordinary Watercourse Groundwater Reservoirs * * * * * Coastal Erosion Strategic Overview of all sources of flood risk (and the coast) *Please note RMAs have different responsibilities for reservoirs such as regulation, asset management and flood incident response. Table 2: Risk management authorities and others involved in managing flood risk
Risk management Role and responsibilities authorities and others Environment Agency The Environment Agency has a strategic overview of all sources of flooding and coastal erosion (rivers, the sea, groundwater, reservoirs and surface water). Permissive powers to manage flood risk from ‘main rivers’, the sea and reservoirs. Can use enforcement powers to require landowners to take action to minimise flood risk to others. Lead Local Flood LLFA. A county council or unitary council. Permissive powers to Authority manage flood risk from surface water, ‘ordinary watercourses’ (non-main rivers) outside of internal drainage districts, and groundwater. Enforcement powers are similar to Environment Agency’s. LLFAs also manage the drainage on the majority of local highways. Water Companies Northumbrian Water manages the sewerage and water supply networks and any flood risk arising from them. Also manage flood risk to any critical infrastructure, such as water treatment plants
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Risk management Role and responsibilities authorities and others and pumping stations. District Council By agreement with the upper tier Lead Local Flood Authority, the District Council may do some work to manage flood risk. District Councils are the Local Planning Authority. Within Northumbria river basin district they are located primarily in the south of the district within North Yorkshire County Council area. Maritime District There are no Maritime District Authorities within the Northumbria Council river basin district area Navigation Authorities Canal and River Trust (CRT) manage the canal network throughout the river basin district. Although not a designated ‘Risk Management Authority’, CRT manages its network in a way that minimises risk of flooding. Riparian landowner The owner of land next to a watercourse usually owns the land to the middle of the river (unless property deeds show otherwise). This ‘riparian landowner’ is responsible for maintaining the watercourse to allow free flow. Communities Individuals at risk from flooding, or having flooded, are encouraged to form a Flood Action Group or other Community Group as a focus for understanding the issues, considering improvement options and implementing solutions. Reservoir Owners In addition to their general duty of care for the public under common law, the owners of reservoirs with an above ground capacity of 25,000 cubic metres or more have a legal duty to have their reservoirs supervised and inspected regularly by experts; in order to prevent dam failures and the dangerous flooding that could result. Reservoir owners could fall into any of the above categories listed in the table. Network Rail aim to deliver a railway that is safer, more reliable and more efficient, helping to build a thriving, sustainable Network Rail economy. To achieve this they manage and maintain railways that can be affected by flooding. Some railways along the coast or which cross main rivers are on embankments which can protect property from flooding. Highways England looks after the motorways and major A roads focussing on the most important national routes, while councils Highways England manage the roads serving local communities. Having information (Highways Agency) about the condition of drainage assets they hold a Drainage Data Management System (also known as HADDMS) to identify flooding issues and places at particular risk, including private property, supporting a risk based programme of drainage renewal works. Non RMA owners of Features and structures that have been designated as a flood flood defences defence cannot be altered, removed or replaced without the consent of the responsible authority.
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Existing flood management schemes Risk Management Authorities work in partnership with each other and communities to manage flood risk. The Flood Risk Management Plan sets out the current high level measures to manage flood risk from the main rivers, the sea and reservoirs across the Northumbria river basin district. However, RMAs have been undertaking a range of activities to manage flood risk for many years and will continue to work closely and in partnership to address flood risk at a local level. Details of these activities can be found in Section 6 Key Flood Risk Issues in the Northumbria River Basin District. In some parts of the Northumbria river basin district flood management schemes are in place to reduce flood risk. The Environment Agency Flood Map for Planning shows all flood defences built in the last five years to protect against river floods with a 1 per cent (1 in 100) chance of happening each year, or floods from the sea with a 0.5 per cent (1 in 200) chance of happening each year. It also shows some, but not all, older defences. Across the country Government is investing £2.3bn on 1,500 flood defence schemes over 2015 – 2021. Thousands of properties in the river basin district benefit from river flood risk management schemes, including homes and businesses in Morpeth and Warkworth. Further schemes are ongoing or planned in the Northumbria river basin district, such as in Blyth, Team Valley, Port Clarence and Guisborough. The Local Flood Partnerships in Cumbria and Yorkshire, set up in response to the December floods will bring together a wide range of organisations and communities to develop Flood Action Plans. These actions will complement the measures in the FRMP and the learning from this approach will be shared across the country. During December 2015 existing flood defences played an essential part in protecting thousands of homes with 12,500 benefitting during Storm Desmond and 10,900 during Storm Eva. This also provided vital time for homes and businesses to be evacuated as well as reducing the impacts. Additional temporary defences and pumps were deployed to reduce the risk to homes, businesses and infrastructure. A recovery programme of inspections and repairs to damaged defences was commenced as soon as water levels reduced. Supporting Communities that Remain at Risk is an Environment Agency project to pre-plan for the use of temporary defences. This project is a great opportunity to have prepared plans and equipment for more communities to maximise the use of the extra time flood forecasting investment has bought us in helping to protect them.
Recently constructed flood storage dam upstream of Morpeth Flood Risk Information The Northumbria Flood Risk Management Plan covers flood risk from rivers and the sea, reservoirs. The following section outlines flood risk classifications for the various sources, including those flood risks covered in the Local Flood Risk Management Strategies which are being produced by the Lead Local Flood Authorities.
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Flooding from rivers and the sea The maps and statistics within this plan relating to flooding from rivers and the sea are taken from the risk of flooding from rivers and the sea map. This map has been developed using the National Flood Risk Assessment (NaFRA). This is an assessment of flood risk for England and Wales produced using local data and expertise. It shows the chance of flooding from rivers and the sea (both along the open coast and tidal estuaries). The risk is presented as a likelihood (or chance) of flooding in any given year and divided into the following categories: High - greater than or equal to 1 in 30 (3.3%) chance in any given year Medium - less than 1 in 30 (3.3%) but greater than or equal to 1 in 100 (1%) chance in any given year Low - less than 1 in 100 (1%) but greater than or equal to 1 in 1000 (0.1%) chance in any given year Very low - less than 1 in 1000 (0.1%) chance in any given year. The NaFRA takes flood defences and their condition into account and so describes the actual chance of flooding, rather than the chance if there were no defences present. Flood defences reduce the level of risk but don't completely remove it. In extreme weather they can be overtopped or fail if they are in poor condition. The NaFRA results can be used in conjunction with receptor data (number and type of properties and infrastructure) to estimate the consequences and economic damage associated with flooding from rivers and the sea. Flooding from reservoirs Reservoir flood risk maps show the area that could be flooded if a large reservoir were to fail and release the water it holds. A large reservoir is one that holds over 25,000 cubic metres. This is a worst case scenario. Flooding from surface water The maps and statistics contained in this plan are based on the Updated Flood Map for Surface water (UMfSW) published in December 2013.The UMfSW assesses a range of flooding scenarios (annual probability of flooding is shown in brackets): High -1 in 30 (3.3%) Medium - 1 in 100 (1%) Low - 1 in 1000 (0.1%) The UMfSW replaced the ‘Areas Susceptible to Surface Water Flooding’ maps produced in 2010 by the Environment Agency.
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2 What is a Flood Risk Management Plan?
Flood risk management plans highlight the hazards and risks from rivers, the sea, surface water, groundwater and reservoirs and set out how RMAs will work together with communities to manage flood risk. What is the flood risk management plan for? Flood Risk Management Plans (FRMPs) are produced every 6 years and describe the sources and risks of flooding within a river basin district and catchment. They also include information on how risk management authorities (RMAs) plan to work together with communities and businesses to manage and reduce flood risk. Over the 6 year planning cycle the FRMP will help promote a greater awareness and understanding of the risks of flooding, particularly in those communities at high risk, and encourage and enable householders, businesses and communities to take action to manage the risks. FRMPs along with River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) help all those involved in managing water to make decisions that are best for people and the environment. Why are flood risk management plans being prepared? This is the first cycle of implementing the Flood Risk Regulations 2009. As a result of this legislation, LLFAs must prepare FRMPs in Flood Risk Areas, where the risk of flooding from local flood risks is significant (as identified in Preliminary Flood Risk Assessments (PFRAs)) for instance from surface water, groundwater and ordinary watercourses. The Environment Agency is required to prepare FRMPs for all of England covering flooding from main rivers, the sea and reservoirs. Further information on what is a flood risk management plan can be found on the GOV.UK website. Flood risk and coastal erosion management activities require careful planning to ensure that appropriate, sustainable, options are selected and that they are implemented properly. Actions should be planned effectively, for the long-term, and provide a clear picture of what will be done to manage risk and provide multiple benefits. This may include, for example, linking with other plans such as river basin management plans (RBMPs) and supporting biodiversity, habitat creation or improving water quality. The Environment Agency and LLFAs are developing FRMPs by drawing existing information together and building on existing Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management plans such as: Catchment Flood Management Plans (CFMPs), Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs) and Local Flood Risk Management Strategies (LFRMS) (see Figure 2). What the plan does The FRMP will help deliver the requirements of the National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy in England by setting out the measures to manage flood risk now and in the future. The FRMP will: Help develop and promote a better understanding of flood and coastal erosion risk. Provide information about the economic and environmental benefits to inform decision makers. Identify communities with the highest risk of flooding so that investment can be targeted at those in most need.
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Planning Policy and Building National FCERM Policy (Defra) Regulations (DCLG) EU DIRECTIVES
Floods Directive Flood Risk Management Plans
Local FCERM Strategies Water Framework Dir River Basin Management Plans Catchment flood risk
and coastal erosion Strategic flood risk management planning (CFMPs, SMPs) assessments Long term planning for Other relevant plans all sources of flood risk The planning & coastal erosion Surface Water system (local plans, Management Plans/ neighbourhood water level plans) management plans Flood risk National FCERM assessments Strategy (England) Habitat Creation Programme
Sustainable Planning applications FCERM Schemes Infrastructure and decisions community management plans strategies / local strategic partnerships
Figure 2: Flood Risk Management Plans and their relationship to other planning initiatives (taken from the National Flood and Coastal Risk Management Strategy for England)
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Not all measures / actions in FRMPs have secured funding and so are not guaranteed to be implemented. Money is allocated to all RMA measures in the same way and is based on current Government policy that gives the highest priority to lives and homes. What types of flood risk are included in the flood risk management plan? The FRMP covers the flood risks that the Environment Agency is responsible for. The Environment Agency has worked in partnership with other RMAs to pool the information needed to develop the FRMP. Some RMAs have a statutory duty to produce a FRMP as they have areas designated as Flood Risk Areas. Local surface water risk information is only included where lead local flood authorities have a statutory duty to produce a FRMP or where they have volunteered information. Within Northumbria the only LLFA to share data was North Yorkshire as shown in Table 3. It is hoped to expand that number in the future rounds of FRMPs. Areas of significant ‘local flood risk’ were identified from historic flood records and analysis of potential future flooding from surface water, groundwater and ordinary watercourses. These ‘Flood Risk Areas’ were designated on the basis of there being at least 30,000 people in properties at risk of flooding, or 150 critical services (for example - schools, hospitals, nursing homes, power and water services). This was as shown by locally agreed surface water flood maps produced in 2010 by the Environment Agency and supplemented with data from Lead Local Flood Authorities where available. Using this national criteria there were no Flood Risk Areas identified within the Northumbria river basin district. However, LLFAs are required to produce Local Flood Risk Management Strategies. Most of the LLFAs in the Northumbria river basin district are currently working to complete their Local Strategy and as such it was not possible to pool this information into this FRMP. The RMAs will continue to work closely together to ensure that all sources of flood risk are considered in their flood risk management activities. It is expected that the Round 2 FRMPs which will be produced in 2021 will draw together flood management plans from across all authorities to produce a single document covering all sources of flood risk.
Table 3: RMAs who have voluntarily provided information for the Northumbria FRMP.
Voluntary information Organisation name Lead Local Flood Authorities North Yorkshire County Council
Find out more about flood risk management:
National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-flood-and-coastal-erosion-risk-management- strategy-for-england
Flood Risk Management Plan Guidance https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/flood-risk-management-plan-guidance
Flood and Coastal Change https://www.gov.uk/topic/environmental-management/flooding-coastal-change
Interactive flood maps http://maps.environment-agency.gov.uk/wiyby/wiybyController?ep=maptopics&lang=_e
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Figure 3: Sources of flood risk information included in this FRMP
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3 How the plan has been developed.
The approach to developing flood risk management plans In 2013 the Government agreed that the preferred approach to developing FRMPs would be for the Environment Agency to work in partnership with other RMAs, in particular LLFAs, to pool information to develop an overall plan for managing all sources of flood risk and coastal erosion. In preparing this FRMP, RMAs have built on relevant information from existing work (see Figure 2 and Table 3). Of particular importance are the Local Flood Risk Management Strategies developed by LLFAs. In drawing measures together, RMAs have revisited priorities and ensured that there is a shared understanding of the risks and how best they can be managed. The Environment Agency is co-ordinating the development of this FRMP with the RBMP so that there is an integrated approach to overall water management for the benefit of people, the environment and the economy. Table 4 shows the sources of FRMP information. These plans remain active. The future need for Catchment Flood Management Plans (CFMPs) as the strategic plan for river and estuary flooding is being reviewed in 2015 and 2016. As with all of the plans listed in Table 4, all relevant actions have been brought together by FRMPs. This is the case with CFMP actions. Irrespective of the review, the actions will be being taken forward by the FRMP. The CFMP long term policies have not been carried forward. Find out more
Interactive flood maps
http://maps.environment-agency.gov.uk/wiyby/wiybyController?ep=maptopics&lang=_e
River Basin District Maps
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/river-basin-districts-flood-risk-maps
Table 4 Sources of FRMP information
Flood risk Existing plans and FRMP information Flooding from main rivers Catchment Flood Management Plans: North East Northumberland, Wansbeck and Blyth, Tyne, Wear, Tees, Esk. Flooding from the sea Shoreline Management Plans: North East Coast, River Tyne to Flamborough Head SMP2 Flooding along estuaries Estuary Management Plans Tees Estuary Strategy Flooding from Reservoirs Reservoir Plans: Flood Risk Maps – Northumbria River Basin District
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Consultation and engagement Consultation and engagement on this FRMP helped improve, inform and shape the plan and by consulting others it is believe achieved a better final plan. National public consultation took place between October 2014 and January 2015. Many of the comments submitted were around working closely together with other RMAs, existing groups and partnerships, landowners, farmers and other interested parties. An overall aim of all RMAs is to fully engage with themselves and also work closely with other groups, communities, landowners and occupiers to work together to manage flood risk in a holistic and efficient manner. Most of the FRMP material was taken from the previous CFMPs which involved extensive consultation and engagement across the RMAs and other interested parties. In preparing the FRMP the Environment Agency also approached all RMAs to discuss the plans and attended a number or joint workshops with our RBMP colleagues to draw out the most important issues. The Environment Agency briefed the Liaison Panel for the Northumbria River Basin Management Plan during the FRMP consultation. This panel represents a wide range of stakeholders for the key sectors and catchment partnerships including local authorities, water company, agricultural and environmental interests. Panel members share information and views between themselves and their sector/wider partnership and vice-versa. Consultation document 12h: Consultation on the draft update to the flood risk management plans - summary response document. https://consult.environment-agency.gov.uk/portal/ho/flood/draft_frmp/consult?dm_i=1QGB,3R34C,KI58VF,DICTE,1 Consultation document 12i: Water for Life and Livelihoods a joint RBMP and FRMP consultation response document. Sets out the main themes for both consultations and how the plans have been changed in response. https://www.gov.uk/government/consul/update-to-the-draft-river-basin-management-plans Objective setting Objectives set out what is wanted to achieve to manage the risk of flooding. Flood Risk Management Plans (FRMPs) contain objectives for managing flood risk. Objectives are a common set of goals agreed by risk management authorities. They state the main ways in which work is directed to make a difference and reduce flood risk. They cover people, the economy and the environment. The objectives are split into the 3 categories to help demonstrate the balance of objectives across the plans but the categories aren’t assigned a weighting in the FRMP. Objectives are used to plan and prioritise investment programmes to target investment to the most at risk communities. Prioritisation is then done at an England wide level and takes into account the risk but also considers other factors such as cost benefits the level of investment to date and other aspects such as the potential for external funding opportunities. The Northumbria flood risk management plan contains 2 sets of objectives. The river basin district wide objectives outline the main areas where RMAs want to make improvements. The catchment objectives, which can differ from one area to the next but are linked to the river basin district objectives, allow risk management authorities to focus on locally important improvements. The measures tables in the appendices show which category of objective relates to each measure. The Objectives in the Northumbria Flood Risk Management Plan are based on the combination of the 5 Catchment Flood Management Plan objectives which were established during the development of the plans and which were reviewed in 2012 following extensive engagement and consultation. The Northumbria FRMP objectives have been established through a review of those objectives. In order to deliver measures to meet the FRMP objectives, a risked based community approach to prioritise where to best direct investment has been taken. This is informed by the strategic framework provided by Catchment Flood Management Plans and Shoreline Management Plans, and other strategies and plans developed both internally and externally in other RMAs and statutory groups. The strategic framework set by these plans enable us to make short-term 23 of 75
decisions to manage present day risk whilst also considering the longer term prediction of risk (for further information on Catchment Flood Management Plans and Shoreline Management Plans please refer to Annex A). All major flood alleviation schemes undergo appraisal work to assess options and to understand the costs and benefits of progressing work. This is done in accordance with Treasury guidance. Six year investment programme In December 2014 the government set out a 6 year plan for investment in flood and coastal erosion risk management (2015/16 to 2020/21). The latest published figures (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/funding-for-flood-and-coastal-erosion-risk-management- in-england) show the current funding profile of each year and the published programme can be found here (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/programme-of-flood-and-coastal-erosion- risk-management-schemes). Measures from the 6 year investment programme are included in this FRMP. Each year Risk Management Authorities (local councils, Internal Drainage Boards, highway authorities, and water and sewage companies) are invited to submit details of proposed FCERM capital works to the Environment Agency. These proposals are combined with Environment Agency proposed schemes to form a programme of work. Investment in FCERM is prioritised according to government policy, and in line with the government’s National FCERM Strategy and HM Treasury Green Book on economic appraisal. Government policy gives the highest priority to lives and homes and all FCERM schemes should at least have a benefit cost ratio greater than 1:1. All FCERM schemes are prioritised against a consistent set of criteria applied to all risk management authorities (RMAs). This ensures a fair distribution of government funding based on agreed priorities, principles and needs. FCERM schemes are normally funded with Flood Defence Grant in Aid from Defra, partnership funding and Local Flood Defence Levy raised by Regional Flood and Coastal Committees. FCERM schemes can also be funded through other private contributions and local funding sources. Where FCERM projects can help to regenerate an area and support economic growth, funding may also be available from other sources. This can include European Structural Investment Fund, Growth Fund through the Local Enterprise Partnership and Community Infrastructure Levy through Local Authorities. In addition to FDGiA for FCERM schemes, Internal Drainage Board activities are predominantly funded by the local beneficiaries of the water level management work they provide. Long term Investment Scenarios The Environment Agency’s long-term investment scenarios (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/flood-and-coastal-risk-management-in-england-long- term-investment) study published in December 2014, presents a new analysis of the costs and risks of flood and coastal erosion risk management in England. The study sets out the link between national investment in flood and coastal erosion risk management, and the outcomes in terms of economic risk and numbers of properties at risk. The study found that the annual economic ‘optimum’ investment need over the next 10 years is broadly in line with current expenditure (about £750 million, including public and third party contributions). The study shows that over the next 50 years optimal investment in FCERM is expected to rise by 10-20% (in present day terms). A key finding of the study is that even if average annual investment is sustained at an optimal level there will still be significant numbers of properties at high and medium flood risk in 50 years time meaning new and innovative approaches will be needed. LTIS estimates that, by 2021, the six year programme could reduce overall flood risk by up to 5% on the assumption that planned capital, maintenance and incident management activities are maintained. The National Flood Resilience Review is considering infrastructure and future investment strategy across England to identify any gaps in the approach and to pinpoint where defences and modelling need strengthening. This will allow us to take prompt action.
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Flood and coastal risk management and agriculture
Land drainage for agricultural purposes is an important element of operational activity in flood and coastal erosion risk management. Today the prime driver for Government investment in flood and coastal management is one of risk reduction to people and property, and for the protection of the environment. Investment is prioritised according to Government policy, the National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy and the HM Treasury Green Book on economic appraisal. Government policy gives the highest priority to lives and homes. Agricultural drainage and water level management work continues to be important particularly in low lying areas and this work is predominantly undertaken by farmers and landowners, and where they exist, Internal Drainage Boards. The work of Internal Drainage Boards through managing water levels and maintaining watercourses and structures can also manage and reduce flood risk to people, property and infrastructure. Strategic Environmental Assessment and Habitats Regulations A Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) was undertaken to consider the significant environmental effects of the flood risk management plan (see Section 8). The Environment Agency consulted Natural England, English Heritage and the Marine Management Organisation on the scope of the proposed assessment in December 2013, and the environmental report sets out the results of the SEA. The report describes the environmental effects that are significant within the river basin district and identifies measures to mitigate any adverse effects. Opportunities to improve the environment are also considered. The SEA took account of the environmental effects of flood risk management measures in the FRMP. The focus was on the combined effects of the programme of protection measures across a catchment or flood risk area, rather than individual measures at specific locations. Using the same assessment approach for both the RBMP and FRMP allows us to compare the environmental effects directly and consider the interaction between the two plans. The likely positive impacts of the FRMP are identified in the SEA, as well as mitigation required to manage the negative effects and opportunities to deliver greater environmental benefits. Indicators are also set out that indicate the effect of the plan on significant environmental receptors, taking advantage of existing monitoring that is already carried out by the Environment Agency and others. A Habitats Regulations assessment has been carried out on the FRMP to consider whether the plan affects designated sites (Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Areas and Ramsar sites). Initial assessment suggests that significant effects are not likely. How flood risk management plans have been co-ordinated with river basin management planning (RBMP) The Northumbria flood risk management plan has been developed alongside the Northumbria river basin management plan so that opportunities for flood risk improvements can integrate water and biodiversity objectives wherever possible and help provide other benefits to society. These benefits could include greater access to riversides, improved recreation and angling along rivers, more biodiversity and contributing to local council open space strategies. The Environment Agency has led on the development of both plans, and aims to co-ordinate work effectively and support others to do the same. Section 8 of this document provides more detail on how the flood risk management plans relate to other plans and wider policies and objectives.
Co-ordinating with RBMP River basin management plans https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/river-basin-management-plans-2015
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4 How to manage risk
Involving the community leads to more effective flood and coastal erosion risk management. RMAs will continue to work with communities and other stakeholders to manage risk by: assessing the sources of flood risk and drawing conclusions about the risks setting out what RMAs are trying to achieve and establishing risk management objectives determining the best approach to achieving the objectives by identifying the right measures and prioritising them The conclusions, objectives and proposed measures are set out within this FRMP. During the 6 year planning cycle set out in the Flood Risk Regulations (2009) RMAs will work with partners and interested parties to: seek to secure the necessary funding, including from partners implement the measures, with clarity on what each organisation is accountable for monitor and review how the plan works Risk management authorities will monitor, and report annually, on progress in implementing the measures set out in the FRMP. Risk management authorities will continue to work in partnership, ensuring that they can maintain a forward look of prioritised proposals for managing flood risk. The next review of the FRMP under the Flood Risk Regulations will be completed by 2021. The Local Flood Partnerships in Cumbria and Yorkshire, set up in response to the December floods will bring together a wide range of organisations and communities to develop Flood Action Plans. These actions will complement the measures in the FRMP and the learning from this approach will be shared across the country. National flood and coastal erosion risk management strategy for England The national flood and coastal erosion risk management strategy for England (2011) provides the overarching framework for future action by all RMAs to tackle flooding and coastal erosion risk in England. The overall aim of the strategy 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 encourages more effective risk management by enabling people, communities, business, infrastructure operators and the public sector to work together to: ensure a clear understanding of the risks of flooding and coastal erosion, nationally and locally, so that investment in risk management can be prioritised more effectively; set out clear and consistent plans for risk management so that communities and businesses can make informed decisions about the management of the remaining risk; manage flood and coastal erosion risks in an appropriate way, taking account of the needs of communities and the environment; ensure that emergency plans and responses to flood incidents are effective and that communities are able to respond effectively to flood forecasts, warnings and advice; help communities to recover more quickly and effectively after incidents.
The strategy recognises that difficult decisions have to be taken where activities can and cannot be carried out at both national and local levels. As such, 6 guiding principles have been identified to help guide these decisions and the processes by which they are taken. These guiding principles are: Community focus and partnership working A catchment and coastal “cell” based approach
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Sustainability Proportionate, risk-based approaches Multiple benefits Beneficiaries should be encouraged to invest in risk management.
This FRMP has been developed to meet the legal requirements of the Flood Risk Regulations. In doing so, it has taken into account the national flood and coastal erosion risk management strategy for England, in particular its guiding principles.
Measures for managing risk There are different approaches to managing flood and coastal erosion risk. These are known as measures and are described below: Preventing: by avoiding putting people or the environment at risk of flooding, for example, one way of preventing risks arising would be by not building homes in areas that can be flooded. Preparing: by taking actions that prepare people for flooding, for example, by improving awareness of flood risk, or by providing warning and forecasting for floods so that people can take precautions to safeguard their valuables. Protecting: by protecting people from the risk of flooding. For example, by the maintenance or refurbishment of existing defences, building new defences or incorporating property resilience measures such as using waterproof boards over doors and airbricks to reduce the damaged caused by flood water. Recovery and review: by learning from when flooding happens and how to recover from it, for example, by improving the availability of recovery services such as providing temporary accommodation, after flooding has occurred. Flood and coastal erosion risk management may require a combination of the measures outlined above. FRMPs bring together measure from existing sources, particularly CFMPs, SMPs, local flood risk management strategies and the Medium Term Plan. The development and completion of these measures is often dependent on partnerships and the provision of funding. Flood risk management activities As identified by the national FCERM Strategy for England, managing flood risk and coastal erosion involves: knowing when and where flooding and coastal erosion are likely to happen; taking reasonable steps to reduce the likelihood of them happening; forecasting and providing warnings of floods so that people, businesses, infrastructure providers and public services can take effective action to minimise the consequences of floods, and adapting to coastal change and acting to reduce the risk to life, damage and disruption caused by flooding.
Ongoing RMA activities relating to flood and coastal risk management can be divided into the following activities. Strategic planning Strategic planning enables RMAs to prioritise flood risk management activities and ensure that investment aligns with priority areas where the risk is greatest and ensure that the best value for money is achieved. It is vital that all RMAs continue to work in partnership to agree strategic planning to manage flood and coastal erosion risk across the river basin district, especially areas at risk from more than one sources of flooding.
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Investigations Following significant flooding, lead local flood authorities (LLFAs) will carry out and publish a flood investigation report (under Section 19 of the Flood and Water Management Act http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/29/section/19). This will consider the source(s) of flooding, how the flooding occurred, the flood extent and depth, damage to property and estimate the severity of the flood. It will also identify which RMAs have relevant flood risk management functions, and whether they have exercised, or are proposing to exercise, those functions in response to the flood. The LLFA must publish the results of its investigation, and notify any RMAs. Hydraulic modelling and hydrology Hydraulic modelling is a process of simulating what happens to river levels during periods of heavy rain. Past flood events are used to support the models’ predictions and improve their accuracy. The RMAs use these models to predict where and when flooding is expected to occur and for how long, taking into account storm intensity and duration. This also informs decisions about how flood risk could be managed. For example, refurbish or improve existing assets, construct new assets, provide planning advice to local councils highlighting risk areas to avoid inappropriate development or provide flood warnings and flood incident management. Flood forecasting and warning In addition to the hydrology and hydraulic modelling, weather forecasts can be used to predict how river flows and levels are expected to respond to changes in weather. Rainfall and river levels provide data which informs the Environment Agency’s flood warning service and allows the issue of timely and accurate flood warnings. Computer models of weather and tide conditions predict tidal flood forecasts. Providing an accurate flood forecasting and warning service is critical in managing the consequences of flooding. Incident planning and management The Environment Agency, local councils, water companies, Emergency Services and other utility companies all plan for incidents of many types, including flooding. These plans inform how the RMAs work together to respond to an incident and inform more strategic Multi-Agency Response Plans. Incident management exercises are used to test and improve the planed procedures. Following flood incidents partners review the plans to further improve procedures and share data. Local Resilience Forums for each of the counties oversee the collective incident planning and response, these are: Northumbria Local Resilience Forum http://www.northumberland.gov.uk/Partners/NLRF.aspx/ Durham and Darlington Local Resilience Forum https://www.durham.police.uk/Information-and-advice/Pages/Local-Resilience-Forum.aspx Cleveland Local Resilience Forum http://www.clevelandemergencyplanning.info/clrf-information-links/about-clrf//
Maintenance RMAs carry out regular inspections and maintenance of structures (raised defences, river channel walls, culverts, outfalls and flap valves, pumping stations and flood storage reservoirs) to ensure they are ‘fit for purpose’. Clearance of some vegetation, sediment and debris from river channels and culverts is a key maintenance task, as this helps to provide enough capacity to convey flood flows. Similar activities are carried out for drains and sewers. Information from the Environment Agency assets inspections maintenance programmes, funding requirements and asset condition. Other RMAs also maintain information relating to their assets, for example Asset Registers that are maintained by LLFAs or Asset Management Plans by the water companies.
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Improvement works The Environment Agency produce flood maps using models to shows where properties are at risk of flooding, or where flooding has happened. These maps help us to identify communities that are at risk of flooding. The Environment Agency, in partnership with other RMAs, works with these communities to look at options to reduce the risk of flooding. The Environment Agency coordinates a 6 year investment programme which prioritises investment to improve or create new defences. Development planning and control RMAs work together to avoid inappropriate development in the flood plain. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) sets out government policy on new developments, which must be applied by local planning authorities when making land use planning decisions. The Environment Agency is a statutory consultee for planning applications except for minor developments in areas at risk of flooding from rivers and the sea and large developments where flooding from rivers and the sea is very unlikely. Working in partnership as RMAs we advise developers on planning consultations in high risk areas. The final decision for development in the flood plain is made by the local planning authorities. Permitting decisions on development are an opportunity for the Local Planning Authority to integrate SuDS. Sustainable Drainage Systems Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) are a way to manage surface water by reducing or delaying rainwater runoff. They aim to mimic the way rainfall drains naturally rather than conventional piped methods. This helps to manage flooding and reduce pollution and damage to the environment. Common types of SuDS are ponds which change in level with rainfall, swales (wide grass ditches), soakaways and permeable pavements (block paving, sometimes with gravel beneath). The approach to be adopted requires infiltration (allowing water to soak in to the ground) to be considered first, then attenuation (storing water at the top of the catchment) and discharge into a watercourse and only if these are impractical should attenuation with discharge to a sewer be considered. Retro-fitting of SuDS to existing buildings and land is also a way of reducing peak flows in drains/sewers and watercourses and so helping to reduce flooding and pollution. The Department for Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), along with the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), are reviewing SuDS, including how they will be maintained. Enforcement RMAs may take enforcement action against a riparian owner (owner of land adjacent to or over a watercourse) to repair their structure before a possible collapse which could lead to flooding. Enforcement action is also sometimes necessary to keep access alongside watercourses clear, so that the RMAs can do maintenance and other work.
Figure 4 The series of measures for managing flood and coastal erosion risk Working with Communities The risk management authorities work in partnership with communities to understand the community perspective of flooding and coastal erosion. The aim is to help communities understand and actively prepare for the risks, and encourage them to have direct involvement in decision-making. Flood Action Groups or other community groups become a clear focus for the community to bring together all the relevant information its residents and businesses may have. Working together to share knowledge, all relevant RMAs can work with communities on managing local risk. This becomes an opportunity for the RMAs to explain what steps they propose to take, talk about the likelihood of funding for any construction works, explore any other funding sources and advise residents and businesses what they can do to help themselves. It also gives the community the opportunity to shape the proposals Partnership Working Managing flood and coastal risks and particularly local flood risks requires many organisations to work together in partnership. The main RMAs in the North East which work in this way are the Environment Agency, 13 Lead Local Flood Authorities (including North Yorkshire who cover a small part of the Tees Catchment) and Northumbrian Water, the local water company. Partnership 29 of 75
working allows organisations to pool expertise and resources to enable what they do to be as efficient and effective as possible. It encourages the sharing of knowledge, data and expertise and provides opportunities to manage cross boundary issues, ensure consistent approaches and develop and test innovative approaches to delivery. An example of how the RMAs work together is the Northern Integrated Drainage Partnership, a group which includes all the RMAs and which pulls together the details of areas priority areas for all the RMAs to identify communities where partnership working will be most effective at managing flood risk. Government is also working to strengthen or establish partnerships in the areas most affected by the December 2015 floods to encourage a more integrated approach to managing risk across the whole catchment. The Local Floods Partnerships across Cumbria and Yorkshire, established after the December 2015 flooding, are a good example of this way of working. Regional Flood and Coastal Committees (RFCC) were first established in 2011 following the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, replacing the former Regional Flood Defence Committees. The Northumbria RFCC is responsible for managing flood risk across some 9,029 sq km of North East England. The RFCC plays a key role in local funding and approving programmes of work that protect communities from flooding. The RFCC supports the Environment Agency and Lead Local Flood Authorities in working with these communities and other partners to identify and bring in funding. The Environment Agency annually submits the Medium Term Plan to the RFCC, which contains the funding bids for the Environment Agency and LLFAs for the next 6 years. There are 4 Strategic Flood Risk Partnership Groups in the Northumbria river basin district as follows: Northumberland: the County Council, Environment Agency and Northumbrian Water. Tyne and Wear: Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland, North and South Tyneside Councils together with the Environment Agency and Northumbrian Water. Durham: Durham County Council, the Environment Agency and Northumbrian Water. Tees Valley: Darlington, Hartlepool, Redcar and Cleveland, Stockton and Middlesbrough Councils together with the Environment Agency and Northumbrian Water. All partnership groups are represented on the RFCC by Local Council Elected Members. Northumbrian Water and the North East Coastal Groups attend the meeting in a non-voting capacity. In addition to the above flood risk partnerships involving Risk Management Authorities, flood risk partnerships are informally formed through the Catchment Based Approach, encouraging the achievement of wider environmental outcomes. In the context of developing an integrated approach we will be looking to align the work of these partnerships with the other activity set out in this plan over the next six years. Catchment based approach Catchment partnerships are groups of organisations with an interest in improving the environment in the local area and are led by a catchment host organisation. The partnerships work on a wide range of issues, including the water environment but also address other concerns that are not directly related to river basin management planning. Government is also working to strengthen or establish partnerships in the areas most affected by the December 2015 floods to encourage a more integrated approach to managing risk across the whole catchment, and will look to build on the work of successful catchment partnerships. The National Resilience Review will align closely with Defra’s work on integrated catchment-level management of the water cycle in the Government’s 25 year Environment Plan. Government’s aspirations for the next cycle of planning (now to 2021) is for more integrated catchment planning for water, where Flood and Coastal Risk Management, River Basin Management, nature conservation and land management are considered together.
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Catchment Partnership group host Northumberland Northumberland Rivers Trust Tyne Tyne Rivers Trust Wear Wear Rivers Trust Tees Tees River Trust
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5 Getting to know the Northumbria River Basin District
Introduction The Northumbria River Basin District is one of 11 river basin districts across England and Wales. 2 The district covers an area of 9,029 km from the Scottish Border to just south of Guisborough, and from the Pennines in the west to the North Sea. The landscape is highly varied, ranging from highly industrial urban areas in the east, across the moors, hills and valleys of Northumberland National Park, to the Heritage coast and the Pennine Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Over the years the rivers have been the focus of economic activity and have been adapted to support human activity, from various historic mill weirs used to drive agricultural processing to dredging of estuaries to allow movement of goods in the region. Generally the west of the region is mostly rural with the main settlements to the east, along the coastal fringes. Managing the water environment at a catchment scale promotes a holistic approach to the work we do and to engagement with many others. There are four main water management catchments (Figure 4) in the Northumbria river basin district they are: Northumberland Rivers Tyne Wear Tees We aim to work closely with others in managing flood risk within these large catchments. While the Tyne, Wear and Tees are all single catchments with all tributaries draining to the main river and on into the North Sea, the Northumberland Rivers are a group of separate rivers and includes individual catchments such as the Blyth, Wansbeck, Coquet and River Aln along with a number of smaller coast streams in the county of Northumberland. It does not include the tributaries of the River Tweed, including the Till and Breamish catchment, which are covered by a separate FRMP. Water The Tees is the longest river in the river basin district, and the Tyne has the largest catchment. Other significant rivers in the river basin district include the Wear, Coquet, Wansbeck and Aln. Water quality pressures include point source pollution (including Sewage Treatment Works and mine water), agricultural diffuse pollution and pollution from urban sources. The majority of the water supply is supported by the Kielder reservoir system, which covers 11 square km. This contrasts with the rest of England, where an average of only 60% is supplied from rivers and reservoirs. Principal aquifers are the Fell Sandstone, which provides water to Berwick and Wooler, Sherwood Sandstone and Magnesian Limestone. There are 390 abstraction licences in the river basin district from rivers and groundwater. The vast majority of licensed volume is for public water supply with the exception in the Tees catchment where 95% of licensed volume is for the purposes of power generation. Other lesser uses include industry, agriculture and domestic supply. Flood risk management systems and drainage Flood risk associated with river and tidal flooding is highest in urban areas with over 20,000 people and 4,150 commercial at risk from flooding in the Tees catchment, around 6,500 people and 2,500 non residential properties in the Tyne, over 6,000 people and 1,600 non residential properties in the Wear and 10,000 people and around 1,800 non residential properties in the Northumberland Rivers catchments. The long-term average rainfall in the river basin district is 831mm but this varies from an annual average of 2,000mm in the headwaters of the Tyne to 600mm on the Teesside coast. 32 of 75
Figure 4: The Northumbria River Basin District
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There have been significant modifications to rivers in the river basin district to manage flood risk from rivers and the sea, and to drain land for agriculture. Many rivers have been straightened, widened, culverted and embanked to reduce flood risk, and this has altered the flow of water. Storage reservoirs also exist, both for water supply, such as at Kielder on the river North Tyne, and Fontburn on the river Font. Barrages exist on the river Wansbeck (for amenity boating uses) and on the river Tees. In addition to this, flood storage areas have been created to reduce flooding, such as on the Gaunless at West Auckland and Wydon Water at Hexham and more recently on the river Wansbeck near Morpeth. While many towns such as Newcastle, Hexham, Morpeth and Stockton benefit from flood defences, flood risk remains and effects significant areas within the management catchment. There are significant areas of rural land use and forestry planting in the catchment, which slow down the speed at which water reaches rivers, however many of the catchments, such as the Wear and South Tyne are very steep and rocky, and as such respond rapidly to significant rainfall events. In addition to this, historic land draining in the North Pennine Moors and the Northumberland National Park has increased the speed at which water reaches river systems. Climate and climate change adaptation There is clear scientific evidence that global climate change is happening now. Over the past century we have seen sea levels rise around England and more of our winter rain falling in intense wet spells. Climate change can affect flood risk in several ways and the impacts will vary depending on local conditions and vulnerability. As risk management authorities we should consider climate change within the development of all our plans. We already plan for climate change. We build climate change predictions in to the design of flood defence schemes to make sure that they are fit for the future. We will revisit this modelling after the record breaking wet weather experienced in December 2015. Wetter winters and more intense rainfall may increase river flooding and cause more surface runoff, increasing localised flooding and erosion. In turn, this may increase pressure on drains, sewers and water quality. Storm intensity in summer could increase even in drier summers, so we need to be prepared for the extreme events. Rising sea or river levels may also increase local flood risk inland or away from major rivers because of interactions with drains, sewers and smaller watercourses. Even small rises in sea level could add to very high tides so as to affect places a long way inland. Sea level rise is affected by 2 factors. The thermal expansion of sea water as temperature rises and the amount of water in the oceans increases as ice sheet and glaciers melt as a result of climate change. This is in combination with Isostatic rebound, the vertical movement or settling of land. The ice cap that covered the north and west of the UK melted, and retreated northwards, following the end of the last Ice Age around 12,000 years ago. The general trend is the northern and western parts of England and Scotland is lifting and south east of England is sinking. Lower emissions could reduce the amount of climate change further into the future, but changes are still projected at least as far ahead as the 2080s. UK Government’s Flood Foresight (2014) re- endorses the findings of the 2008 foresight work, stating that in general terms climate change is likely to increase river flood risks by 2080 by between 2 and 4 times, and coastal flood risk by 4 to 10 times. Increases in the frequency of flooding would affect people’s homes and wellbeing, especially for vulnerable groups. It is not possible to predict exactly how much change will happen or when. But in planning, a range of scenarios should be used for long term decisions to understand the potential range of impacts. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and Planning Practice Guidance state that local planning authorities and developers should ensure development is appropriately flood resilient and resistant, safe for its users for the development’s lifetime and will not increase flood risk overall. The changing climate is expected to increase frequency, extent and impact of flooding and the need to adapt to it. This will be recognised by Local Planning Authorities, Lead Local Flood Authorities and the Environment Agency in exercising their Development Control roles as statutory consultees. The nature of the proposal, the site and the development’s lifetime will determine what level of resilience needs to be incorporated at the time of construction and what action(s) can be deferred to be incorporated at a later date should future adaptation be required. 34 of 75
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) requires that new development is resilient to flooding for its lifetime, taking climate change into account. ‘Flood risk assessments: climate change allowances’ are the best available evidence on the likely impact of climate change on flood risk. By using this guidance for flood risk assessments and to inform the location of development and the design of associated flood risk management measures, it will help local authorities and developers comply with the NPPF. It is anticipated that the eventual change in river flows and sea level rise will lie somewhere within the range of estimates described in ‘Adapting to climate change’. Different estimates can help to understand the scale and nature of risks and identify options to manage them. As we plan for flooding to be more widespread and frequent it will become more and more difficult to reduce its probability by means such as raised defences and flood storage. Emphasis may therefore need to shift to reducing the consequences of flooding by methods such as flood resistant and resilient construction and additional emergency planning measures. The FRMPs contain high level measures/ actions detailing how RMAs will: Incorporate climate change allowances into flood risk management works. Impacts from a changing climate will be considered in plans for location-specific works to reduce flood risk from all sources Identify where working with natural processes and natural flood management can help to reduce flood and coastal erosion risk and help towards communities becoming more resilient both adapt and become more resilient to the impacts of climate change. Measures in the FRMP will complement the outputs of the National Flood Resilience Review. The National Resilience Review will assess how the country can be better protected from future flooding and increasingly extreme weather events. The review is looking at climate modelling, infrastructure, resilience and future investment strategy. Accounting for climate change reduces the risk of flooding and provides better levels of protection but we can never eradicate the risk of flooding entirely. Coastal erosion risk management The Environment Agency has the coastal Strategic Overview in England. The coastal overview joins up coastal management activities to ensure flooding and erosion risk is managed effectively. The overview encourages authorities to work together in partnership to achieve effective management of coastal flooding and erosion risks. Work to tackle coastal erosion is the responsibility of district or unitary councils. Local authorities have operational powers relating to managing coastal erosion under the Coast Protection Act 1949 and the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. Local Authorities lead on coastal risk management activities and undertake works on sea flooding and coastal erosion where they are best placed to do so. This is undertaken in collaboration with the Environment Agency. Shoreline Management plans are non-statutory, high level planning documents. They are large scale assessments of the risk associated with coastal processes, and a policy framework to reduce these risks to people and the developed, historic and natural environment in a sustainable manner. They set the strategic direction for how the coast is wanted to be managed over the next 100 years. SMPs identify the most sustainable approaches to managing coastal erosion and flooding risks in the short, medium, and long term. During the development of Shoreline Management Plans, a range of partners and the public were extensively consulted and involved in the decision making processes. This FRMP also draws some coastal erosion information from the Shoreline Management Plan 2 (SMP2), however, the full Shoreline Management Plan has not been included in this FRMP. The SMP measures included in this FRMP are those that are most relevant for sea flooding and flood risk issues. You can access further information and the full SMPs here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/shoreline-management-plans-smps/shoreline- management-plans-smps.
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SMPs remain the primary high level strategic planning documents on the coast, as they also contain information on coastal erosion risk management, and their content can be updated or changed using an established auditable process. These changes will be reflected in the FRMPs as they are updated on a six-yearly cycle. These changes may be prompted by changes in the evidence base guiding management decisions in SMPs, including evidence emerging from experience of the ongoing implementation of RBMPs. In this way, the Programme of Measures in RBMPs, the action plan and information in the FRMP, and the ‘living’ SMP documents should successfully inform and read-across to each other. The Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 established the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) to produce marine plans, administer marine licensing and manage marine fisheries in English waters. It introduced marine planning in the UK through production of a marine policy statement and more detailed marine plans setting spatial policy at a more local level. Eleven marine plans covering English waters are anticipated by 2021. Marine plans will inform and guide marine users and regulators across England, managing the sustainable development of marine industries such as wind farms and fishing, alongside the need to conserve and protect marine species and habitats. At its landward extent, a marine plan will apply up to mean high water, including estuaries and the tidal extent of rivers. All public bodies making authorisation or enforcement decisions capable of affecting the marine area must do so in accordance with the Marine Policy Statement (MPS) or marine plans (where they are in place) or state reasons for not doing so. Marine licensing, administered by the MMO is the main environmental and development control system below high water. Further information can be found on the MMO web pages on GOV.UK https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/marine-planning-in-england
Coastal Squeeze Flood risk and coastal erosion management measures, such as coastal flood defences, can have an impact on wetland and coastal environments and their conservation interest. As sea-levels rise, intertidal habitat in front of a flood defence can get squeezed and erode. It is therefore important that a long term plan and measures are in place to compensate for habitat losses. Measures can include habitat creation that offsets or replaces habitat losses. Risk Management and Coastal Authorities are encouraged to develop a strategic approach to the planning and delivery of any habitat creation measures that they anticipate will be required before seeking consent for plans or projects. Society and health Approximately 2.8 million people live in the river basin district. The vast majority of these live in the urban areas primarily in 2 Broad locations: 1.South East Northumberland and Tyne and Wear, and 2.the Tees Valley. Historically much of the economic activity in the area centred on mining and heavy industry such as Ship Building and Steel Works. As these industries have declined there has been an increase in unemployment and as a result and an increase in the social deprivation in the area. The North East area has a large proportion of the most deprived areas in England, 281 of the 10% most deprived areas on the Indices of Multiple Deprivation in England are located in this region this equates to around 17% of all the reporting areas within the North East. These areas are concentrated in pockets throughout the urban areas identified above. Land use To the west of the north Northumberland coast and the urban centres in the south east, a diverse rural landscape has been shaped by a range of agricultural activity, with arable or mixed farming and some vegetable production along the coastal plain and lower river valleys.
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Rural Northumberland river – the River Coquet
Moving westward, beef and sheep production predominates, with extensive hill sheep grazing on the higher ground. Moorland management for grouse and forestry are also important activities. Land drainage for agricultural purposes was historically an element of our operational activity in flood and coastal erosion risk management. Around 67% of the land area is farmed or used for forestry. There is strong evidence that woodland measures can reduce flood flows, particularly but not only within smaller catchments. Trees help reduce flood risk in a number of ways: greater water use by trees compared to other vegetation types reduces run-off and also creates greater capacity for woodland soils to absorb rainfall during flood events; higher infiltration rates of forest soils resulting from the extensive rooting systems of trees reduces run-off to watercourses and aids interception of overland flow from adjacent land; Flood plain and riparian woodland can slow down flood flows, increase temporary storage and thereby delay the transfer of flood water downstream; soils under woodland are generally protected from erosion risk, reducing delivery of sediment to watercourses. Therefore, ‘woodland measures’ for flood risk reduction include both targeted woodland creation – in the right place and to the right design – and woodland management such as the installation of features such as large woody debris dams to reconnect watercourses with already wooded riparian zones and flood plains. The 2011 ‘Woodland for Water’ report detailed the evidence behind these conclusions. As a result opportunity mapping to be used to identify where in the country to target woodland measures to help reduce flood risk. Priority locations fall into three categories: Flood plains – where hydraulic roughness from woodland cover slows the flow and encourages the deposition of sediment; Riparian zones – to intercept overland flow, protect river banks from erosion, and help slow the flow of water; Wider catchment planting – to protect sensitive soils from erosion, increase infiltration rates, and intercept sediment in run-off from adjacent land. While opportunity maps can identify priority catchments where woodland creation and management can help reduce flood risk, it is important that woodland is located in the right part of
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the landscape and then designed and managed appropriately in order to maximise their contribution to reducing flood risk. To the east of the area are the majority of the urban and developed areas. These are clustered around the river estuaries and the coastal fringe. The main industrial areas are located within these urban areas.
Today the prime driver for investment in water management for flooding and drainage is one of risk reduction to people and property, and for the improvement of the environment. We prioritise investment according to government policy, the National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy and HM Treasury Green Book on economic appraisal. Government policy gives the highest priority to lives and homes. This will mean the Environment Agency reducing or stopping maintenance work in some areas where the impact of flooding directly affects fewer people. Economic activity While heavy industries such as ship building and mining were dominant economic forces in the past, today manufacturing and service industries are more important to the river basin district. The main industries contributing to the district’s economy are the chemicals, petrochemicals, process, food, drink, transport equipment and metals sectors and high proportion of public sector employment. Although agriculture makes up a small part of the Northumbria River Basin District’s economy directly, it is a crucial in supporting the natural and cultural assets that help to underpin both the region's tourism, which is a key economic sector and high quality of life for those who live and work here. The river basin district is highly important for biodiversity, with a number of habitats and species designated under national and international legislation. Recreation and tourism The North East offers some outstanding recreational opportunities which contribute to people’s quality of life and bring economic benefit from tourism. Some of the notable attractions include Kielder Water and the dark skies around Kielder Forest, 2 world heritage sites – Durham Castle and Cathedral and Hadrians Wall. The unspoilt Northumberland National Park. Fantastic fishing such as on the River Tyne – one of the best salmon rivers in England. Opportunities to enjoy miles of uninterrupted walking along the Northumberland Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The river basin district contains an extensive rights of way network with many located next to water. Notable long-distance routes include the Pennine Way, Trans Pennine Trail and Hadrian’s Wall path as well as popular cycle routes such as the sea to sea route which traverses northern England. Popular water- based sports in the region include angling and kayaking. There are also well established rowing clubs on many of the rivers such as the Wansbeck, Tyne, Wear and Tees, many of which hold annual regattas attracting teams from all over the UK. Teesmouth and Saltholme bird reserves provides access to the valuable intertidal habitats which support internationally important numbers of overwintering birds such as Little Tern, Ringed Plover and Redshank. Right: Rowing on the River Wear at Durham
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There are 12 designated bathing waters in the River Basin District. The river basin district contains parts of the Northumberland National park, which attracts 1.5 million visitors a year, North York Moors National Park, North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and Northumberland Coast AONB which in total represent 41% of the land area. Three Heritage Coasts cover a large portion of the extensive coastline of the river basin district.
Infrastructure Significant infrastructure in the Northumbria river basin includes the Ports of Tees, Tyne, Sunderland and Blyth which transport goods to and from many local industries. The Port of Tyne also offers a regular ferry route to Amsterdam and regular Cruise Liners visit the port supporting the local tourism economy. Newcastle International and Durham Tees Valley Airports are located in the River Basin District with regular scheduled links to many UK and European destinations. The A1(M), A1, A19, A66, A68 and A69 form the major road links to the North, South and West from the River Basin District and are vital to the local commerce. The East Coast Mainline provides a high quality railway service throughout the area. Landscape The Northumbria River Basin District contains a myriad of landscape types, with 23 landscape character assessments covering it. The landscapes range from wooded river valleys, to moorland in the west of the river basin district, such as the North Pennine Moors to the arable lowlands of the Wear and Tees management units. There are 3 designated landscapes including the Northumberland National Park, and 2 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (North Pennines and Northumberland Coast).
Figure 5 Topographic map of the Northumbria River Basin District
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Biodiversity The river basin district contains a number of sites of international importance designated for the habitats and species they contain. This includes 16 Special Areas of Conservation (SAC), 7 Special Protection Areas (SPA) and 5 Ramsar sites. A large proportion of these protected areas are dependent on good water quality. Notable examples include the large numbers of overwintering waders on the Tees estuary, the extensive blanket bog of the North Pennine Moors SAC and the sea grass beds and reefs along the Northumberland coast. Water bodies and wetland areas within the river basin district support a number of protected species (such as Otters and Water Voles) and priority species listed in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (such as freshwater White-Clawed Crayfish). Several of the rivers have notable salmon and sea trout populations, such as the Tyne, Wansbeck and Coquet. Invasive species are present in many of the catchments, in particular Japanese Knotweed, Floating Pennywort, Himalayan Balsam, Signal Crayfish, Mink and Giant Hogweed. Invasive species can out-compete native ones and compromise habitats which other aquatic or semi- aquatic wildlife rely on. Crayfish plague is known to be spreading north through the Northumbria River Basin District, with Signal Crayfish being identified in the Blyth catchment in the last 2 years.
Cultural heritage The Region's cultural heritage is rich and varied, with each area having its particular character affected by natural and cultural land use and private and public ownership over 1,000s of years. In the Northern part of the river basin district, there exists a large number of sites of heritage and archaeological interest dating back to the late last glacial and early Holocene, represented by occasional finds and site of stone tools. Some of our knowledge about these landscapes occupied by the early inhabitants of the British Isles and how we have altered this landscape can be found in the estuarine, coastal and inland organic sediments such as buried peat deposits. Historically sea levels were lower than they are today and many of our important sites, recording the early ‘history’ of the region are the future likely to be made in our estuaries and or our coast. That the record and public interest includes Cold War military and civil structures show we continue to develop the ’important’ heritage of the future. The Northumbria River Basin District’s resource for the early medieval period includes the important sites of Lindisfarne and Bamburgh Castle. Additionally the area has a number of churches and stone sculpture dating to the Anglo-Saxon period.. Relic terraces and ridge and furrow mark our impact on the landscape in the Tees and Northumberland Rivers management units in particular, whilst cattle and sheep rearing dominated in the uplands forming a significant part of the economy for the ecclesiastical institutions. The area’s history, such as its old mining industry and extraction has left behind archaeological infrastructure such as quarries, charcoal pits, railways and wagon ways. Salt extraction is also known to have occurred on the coast. Within the river basin district there are 2 World Heritage Sites - Hadrian’s Wall and Durham Cathedral and Castle. There are also 187 Scheduled Ancient Monuments (SAMs), Registered Historic Parks and Gardens, Registered Battlefields and thousands of listed buildings. Parkland and estate landscapes are still evident in Northumberland, such as Blagdon and Wallington. So much of this heritage is located on or next to water and therefore could be positively or adversely affected by flood risk schemes. Our knowledge of these areas, particularly the estuaries and coasts, and of particular periods is incomplete and to identify the impact and its significance might be a complex issue. According to the Heritage at Risk Register, there are almost 300 historic assets at risk of damage or decay and in need of action to preserve them.
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Geology Geology plays a role in determining how water flows through a catchment in a number of ways. There is a direct influence on water moving below the ground surface through its capacity to hold water (size and frequency of pore space within rock) and permeability (link between pores). In general, permeable geology will result in more rainwater filtering into the soil structure thereby reducing the response time of the catchment runoff from rainfall. This in general results in less ‘flashy ‘catchments. However the more permeable an underlying rock structure is, then the more water can be stored in the rocks to be released slowly, sustaining higher base flows and possibly causing groundwater flooding in certain conditions. There is also an indirect influence on water moving over the surface of the land through its relationship with the type and character of overlying soil and drift material. The permeability of soils and drift material has a similar influence on the rate at which rain soaks into the ground. The geology of the upper Tees catchment consists of impervious1 bedrock of Carboniferous age, which is, in turn, composed of alternating limestones, shale, sandstones and thin coal seams and Millstone Grit. This has an effect on rainfall runoff by creating an impermeable layer below the upland soils. Coal Measures are exposed over a comparatively small part of the middle catchment but underlie the Magnesian Limestone towards the Durham coast. The underlying geology of the Wear is of Carboniferous age. Coal Measures, Millstone Grit, Upper and Lower Limestone dominate the geology of the upper Wear catchment. While Coal Measures and Magnesian Limestone are predominant in the middle and lower reaches and Coastal Streams area. Rocks from the carboniferous period lie entirely under the Tyne area. This carboniferous strata dips eastwards, with the oldest rocks located in the northwest in the River North Tyne In Northumberland generally there are the carboniferous limestones to the south and east with older igneous rock formations to the north and west.
Soil The relationship between soils and flooding is complex and depends on a number of different factors. In general, the amount of water in the soil and the speed it flows through it (permeability) is controlled by the texture of the soil. Texture determines what the ‘voids’ or spaces within the soil structure are like: Clayey soils (low permeability and impermeable) voids are very small and retain water but exclude air. Therefore, they trend to drain poorly and become waterlogged. Sandy soils (permeable and more porous) fewer but larger spaces that tend to hold air and allow water to drain freely. Loamy soils (permeable and not very porous) contain both sand and clay and so have a balance of properties. Peaty soil contains large amounts of organic matter, which, depending on their condition, can retain more moisture than clay soils.
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The soils vary across the river basin district but generally clay based soils dominate the area, with peaty soils in the uplands. The Peaty soils, in their natural state, can act as a natural store for rainfall and release runoff slowly. However, large areas of the river basin district peat soils have been artificially drained over the years, leading to much more rapid runoff and sediment transfer into the receiving watercourses. The general clay based soils are less able to absorb rainfall and as such lead to rapid runoff across the catchments, typically around 40% of rainfall is converted to runoff across large parts of the river basin district due to the limited absorption into the soils.
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6 Key Flood Risk Issues in the Northumbria River Basin District
The following maps illustrate the broad scale of flood risk across the river basin district. You can see this information in more detail at the links below. Tables 6 to 8 go on to quantify the risk across the river basin district from both river and sea and from potential reservoir flooding. As the area is largely rural in its nature, the flood risk is relatively low compared to many other river basin districts. The nature of the relatively steep catchments, high annual rainfall and the geology and soil types lead to catchments that respond quickly to rainfall. The rivers have become very efficient at transferring water with rivers such as the Tyne carrying well in excess of 1000m3/s during floods. However, while areas at risk of flooding are relatively small the power of the flood water can be very damaging. However, as the flood plains are quite small when compared to other river systems across the country this means that development in the highest risk areas has been limited historically. This is reflected in less than 7000 people being at high risk of flooding across the river basin district. The majority of the risk to people and property is within the medium and low categories. While flooding does not occur frequently to those areas the speed and depth of the flooding can cause great danger to those who are impacted. The speed the rivers respond mean that organisations have little time to be able to react to reports of flooding. This means we need to provide as much warning as possible and work with communities to ensure that they are as prepared for flooding as they can be. A fuller description of the flood risks is more fully described in Part B as each catchment is considered individually. The scale of the mapping shows that there are pockets of risk along the rivers throughout the river basin district. The majority of risk is concentrated to the east, around South and East Northumberland and the eastern areas of the other main catchments. To best manage flood risk we need to combine data and knowledge from a variety of sources. Records of past flooding are a vital source, such as the cause of flooding, the numbers of properties affected, extent and depth of floodwater and actions taken to mitigate impacts. Of course, availability of this data varies. The Environment Agency use historic flood data to verify and improve models which simulate floods and these models are then used to produce maps of indicative flood risk – the extent of floods of differing severity. Flood History To best manage flood risk data and knowledge from a variety of sources are needed. Records of past flooding are a vital source, such as the cause of flooding, the numbers of properties affected, extent and depth of floodwater and actions taken to mitigate impacts. Availability of this data varies. The Environment Agency use historic flood data to verify and improve models which simulate floods and these models are then used to produce maps of indicative flood risk – the extent of floods of differing severity. There is a long history of flooding in the river basin district. While many flood events of the past are lost in the mists of time some of the more damaging events are captured in local historical accounts such as the devastating floods of 1771 which demolished all the bridges on the Tyne except the bridge at Corbridge, the flood destroyed homes and cost s number of people their lives according to reports. More recently there is a well documented flood history, many of the affected communities now benefiting from formal defences to reduce the risk of flooding, such as Hexham, Morpeth, Rothbury, Yarm, West Auckland and South Church. During December 2015, a series of storms brought record breaking rainfall totals to parts of the Northumbria RBD as well as many other parts of the country. On the evening of the 4th December Storm Desmond moved in from the west and then stalled over the North Pennines. High rainfall totals were achieved over the west of the river basin district with widespread rainfall totals of 75 to 100mm with peaks of over 150mm of rainfall
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falling at Garrigill in 24 hours. This rainfall, falling on already saturated catchments resulted in flood conditions on many of the rivers in the Northumbria river basin district. During this storm event, we recorded the highest river flows at many of our gauging stations, primarily in the Tyne catchment. These levels in many locations appear to be second only to the 1771 flood for parts of the River Tyne in Northumberland when compared to the long term flood history. In total over 250 properties were flooded across the Tyne Catchment, including tributaries, with defences in Haydon Bridge and Corbridge overtopping. Across the country over 19,000 homes were flooded, with thousands more affected by loss of power supply and travel disruption. Existing flood defences played an essential part in protecting thousands of homes during December with 12,500 benefitting during Storm Desmond and 10,900 during Storm Eva.
Table 5 Historical flood events affecting 30 or more properties in a single location. Number of properties affected shown in ()
Coastal and Tidal Floods: December 2013 North Tyneside (34), Newcastle Quayside (18), Gateshead (36), Port Clarence (51), Redcar (60)
Fluvial Floods (from ‘main river’):
December 2015 Haydon Bridge, Warden, Hexham, Corbridge and Ovingham/Prudhoe (in total more than 250 properties) September Morpeth (45), Stockton-on-Tees (75) 2012 June 2012 Chester-le-Street (106), Team Valley (25), Acomb (12) July 2009 Durham (16) September Morpeth (1000+), Rothbury (55), Warkworth (20), Ouseburn 2008 (32) January 2005 Haydon Bridge (23), Warden (28), Hexham (10), Corbridge (35), August 2004 West Auckland (35) August 2002 Alston (50) November 2000 Skinningrove (178), Ponteland (140+) July 2000 Skinningrove (108) June 2000 West Auckland & South Church (400+), Neasham (13) January 1995 Wear Valley (49), Haydon Bridge (19), Corbridge (23), Neasham (55) March 1992 Ponteland (20) March 1979 Stockton-on-Tees (34), Middlesbrough (80), Billingham (72) September Stokesley (150), Great Ayton (16), Yarm (280+) 1976 December 1968 Lanchester (70) 1967 Darlington (54)
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1966 Belford (33) March 1963 Morpeth (480+)
Storm Desmond was followed by Storm Eva over the 25th and 26th December which again impacted on parts of the Tyne river system, flooding some communities which were impacted in Storm Desmond. The river basin district sits on the East Coast and has been subject to tidal flooding, most recently in 2013. The risk from high tides includes major urban areas such as Blyth and Teesside. A small sample of some of the notable events is capture in Table 5 above. More comprehensive details of past floods are listed in individual Catchment Flood Management Plans and in reports of major flood events. In recent years surface water flooding has become very frequent, with the area being impacted by a “super cell” storm in June 2012 which caused extensive flooding throughout the river basin district. While this FRMP does not cover surface water flooding the Lead Local Flood Authorities are developing Local Flood Risk Management Strategies to develop plans to manage these risks. The risk management authorities continue to work together to address flood risk from all sources and it is hoped that future FRMPs will draw together a plan to manage flood risk from all sources.
Flood Risk from Rivers and the Sea
River channel maintenance The Environment Agency and other RMAs carry out maintenance work in line with government policy to provide the greatest benefits to people and property at risk of flooding within the available funding. Maintenance work to maintain channels, assets and structures is carried out under the Environment Agency’s permissive powers to ensure that assets are fit for purpose. A risk-based approach to assess the need and justification for works and investment is directed towards those activities that will contribute most to reducing flood risk per pound of funding. Maintenance activities are divided into four main areas: operation (inspecting and operating assets); conveyance (improving the flow of water in a channel); structures (maintaining structures and assets); Mechanical, Electrical, Instrumentation, Control and Automation (carrying out minor repairs and replacements to pumps and powered systems). The Environment Agency extract a national picture of maintenance needs from System Asset Management Plans (SAMPs) these systems are ranked based on their cost/benefit ratio. The Environment Agency annual maintenance programme includes a range of activities that are prioritised and timetabled using information from asset inspections, maintenance standards, characteristics of the assets, levels of flood risk and from legal and statutory obligations. Under the Flood Water Management Act 2010 (FWMA) the LLFA became the organisation with enforcement powers relating maintaining the flow and repair of bridges and other structures on Ordinary Watercourses. These are permissive powers that the LLFA can choose exercise as it sees fit. The FWMA 2010 states riparian owners (those owning land adjacent to a watercourse or land through which a watercourse flows) are responsible for maintaining watercourses and structures adjacent and over watercourses such that the flow of water is not impeded. LLFA’s may undertake routine watercourse maintenance as a result of their historic role on Ordinary Watercourses. LLFAs don’t typically undertake maintenance of flood risk management structures and features at present. As the LLFA secures funding for and starts to deliver Flood
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Alleviation Schemes on the ground it is likely that it will be responsible for the future maintenance of these structures. Typically LLFAs sit within the same organisations as the Highways Authority; County and Unitary Councils. Highways Authorities are Risk Management Authorities as defined by the FWMA 2010 and are responsible for the inspection and maintenance of the highways drainage system serving their network. Typically this involves a programme of gulley emptying and grate clearing. At problem locations there may be regular inspection and clearing of the pipe work connecting the gulleys and the outfall to a watercourse or ditch but this is not done as a matter of course. In fact it is often carried out reactively post reports of flooding. Many highways drainage systems rely on an outfall to a soakaway due to the distance away from a receiving watercourse. Soakaways require maintenance over time in order to remain effective and this can be reactive. Some highways drainage systems connect to the water company sewer. Many Highways Authorities are moving towards a more passive drainage system which requires less frequent inspection and maintenance, particularly on new developments where the Highways Authority will be adopting the road network in the future. A passive system would contain fewer underground pipe systems and gulleys, instead relying on permeable paving, swales and storage ponds before being discharged to a watercourse or sewer etc. Upland watercourses can move large quantities of gravel and boulders which can greatly reduce the capacity of rivers to convey flood water. On lowland, flatter watercourses, problems arise with silt. Although less dramatic, this can also impede flow. Silt and gravel accumulates in rivers at places where flows slow down. This is a natural process and we and Lead Local Flood Authorities intervene only where we have to in order to minimise flood risk. Rivers often have enough capacity for sediment not to affect flood levels greatly and loose sediment ‘shoals’ can also be washed downstream in flood conditions. However, at pinch points and where there are properties at risk of flooding we are more likely to consider removing sediment down to the natural bed level of the watercourse. How much we remove and how often are usually guided by computer simulations of river flows in various conditions. These models and our experience indicate whether water is likely to flow over an area, or simply pond there. Options to mitigate against erosion and sediment deposition include: re-establishing vegetation and meanders in affected catchments and rivers, silt and gravel traps to focus sediment deposition/removal from rivers, and erosion protection at point locations on vulnerable river reaches. Vegetation can take root in sediment and in river retaining walls, raising flood levels and potentially causing a blockage at a structure, so this and bed weed are also routinely removed from some rivers. Land management and flooding The Environment Agency will work with many other organisations and within partnerships to consider the application of these methods and to develop programmes of them alongside more traditional solutions, such as building raised flood defences. Programmes will include the 6 year Investment Programme of Environment Agency and Lead Local Flood Authority projects. This more natural approach can reduce sediment volumes entering rivers, filter out contaminants and enhance habitats - see also ‘Flood Risk Management Plan contributing to broader benefits’ in section 8. Measures to ‘slow the flow’ of water in the river basin district will focus mostly on minor watercourses upstream of ‘communities at risk’ and on less extreme flood frequencies. Individual measures will generally be small in scale but, taken together, many ‘run-off attenuation features’ in small catchments (of less than 10km2) can combine to reduce peak flows in streams. Case studies across the UK have shown that the reduction in flow can be 5 to 10%, so ‘slow the flow’ work across the river basin district will aim for this evidence backed reduction. Pickering, North Yorkshire – modelling showed 4% reduction in 1 in 25 year flood flow and 7% for 1 in 100 year flow – this is for 50ha of riparian woodland and 100 large woody debris dams; mixed results when trying to compare modelling with actual flood events.
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Belford, Northumbria – 35 features, including timber barriers and earth bunds, for on and off-line storage and large woody debris dams were shown by modelling to reduce flood peak by 10% in a 6km2 catchment; no big storms in 2 years
Belford Burn – leaky ponds in action
The urban equivalents of slowing the flow are ‘green infrastructure’ and Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) which have many of the same aims. Measures such as wetlands can be either small or large and might be more applicable to lowland areas with flatter topography. Ponds, swales and tree planting are just as applicable on urban fringes as less populated areas, and often aim to reduce rates of surface water runoff. A good example is separating out surface water from combined sewers and attenuating it in flood conditions using ponds in parks. When applied to developments they have an important role in delivering multiple benefits including reduction of flood risk and improvements to water quality. They also conserve and benefit biodiversity and help with climate change adaptation (eg. urban heat island effect). Managing flood risk in less populated areas The Environment Agency’s flood risk management work is focussed where each pound of public money spent can provide the greatest amount of benefit to people and property. This tends to mean that the majority of our revenue funding is spent on the more urban areas where there is a majority of the flood risk to people and property. As funding reduces Environment Agency may be unable to do as much as it has historically done particularly in the more rural areas. Where this means we may need to reduce management activities we would look to work with the affected land owners, to seek options which strike a balance between natural flooding of flood plain, which attenuates downstream flooding and use of these areas of land for other purposes, including agriculture and habitat. Managing flood risk in urban areas Our larger settlements have resulted in many man-made structures affecting the river environment, from river channel retaining walls, to weirs and culverts. These structures are as prevalent in our towns and suburbs as they are in the large cities, though the cities also have some ‘hidden watercourses’, the locations of which are not always properly known. The industrial revolution triggered significant development, with much of it close to watercourses. Many structures from that era are now deteriorating, posing a risk of collapse and watercourse blockage. Culverts beneath roads and properties are particularly common in our dense urban areas. These come in all shapes and sizes with those on ‘main rivers’ generally (but not always) being larger than those on smaller watercourses and surface water drains. These structures inhibit wildlife and vegetation, restrict flows and increase flood risk from blockages. To counter this risk, we and Lead Local Flood Authorities do frequent inspections (larger culverts) and CCTV surveys (smaller structures) and carries out repairs when necessary. During heavy rainfall we monitor water levels at many structures and send teams to clear debris 47 of 75
from culvert inlet screens. We also ensure that when heavy rainfall is forecast, that teams inspect and clear these structures prior to the rainfall arriving, reducing the risk of blockages occurring during the event. We also carry out periodic inspections of the watercourses upstream of these structures to remove any potential blockages before the items are transported by flood water. Examples of debris are: tree branches, leaves, garden refuse and obstructions such as shopping trolleys, or gravel and boulders in more extreme conditions. Problems with debris at culverts arise on both small and large watercourses. Levels can rise quickly and flooding on some can start in less than two hours from a blockage occurring, making preventative action very difficult. Coastal and tidal flood risk The coastline of the river basin district runs from just north of Berwick, running through the coastal authorities of Northumberland, North and South Tyneside, Sunderland, County Durham, Hartlepool and Redcar and Cleveland. While not on the coast, Newcastle, Gateshead, Stockton and Middlesbrough all have areas of land which can be impacted by high tides within the estuaries of the main rivers. While coastal flooding has been limited in the past, communities from Berwick in the north to Redcar in the south have been affected by tidal and coastal flood risk. However, the coastline is largely rural in nature and the flood risk is often to small numbers of properties in small settlements. In the recent 2013 floods only small number of properties on the coast flooded. The majority of risk was from tidal estuaries with flooding occurring along the Tyne and Tees estuaries. We have recently installed new defences at Redcar and work is ongoing at Port Clarance on the Tees to address tidal and coastal flooding. The impact of climate change and sea level rise is a concern and will be considered in addressing flood risk going forward
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Table 6 Summary of flood risk to people, economic activity and the natural and historic environment across the Northumbria river basin district River and Sea Total in High risk Medium Low risk Very low river risk risk basin district Risk to people: Number of people in river basin district : 2,786,700 6,300 12,900 24,050 <50 Number of services: 4690 80 80 100 0
Risk to economic activity: Number of non-residential properties: 223,770 2,200 3,650 4300 <50 Number of airports: 2 0 0 0 0 Length of roads (km): 1,550 10 20 30 0 Length of railway (km): 540 10 10 20 0 Agricultural land (ha): 359,450 10,600 7,300 5,550 <50
Risk to the natural and historic environment: Number of EU designated bathing waters within 50m: 12 0 0 0 0 Number of EPR installations within 50m: 183 5 15 4 0 Area of SAC within river basin district (ha): 121,250 5,200 700 300 <50 Area of SPA within river basin district (ha): 96,100 5,500 750 200 <50 Area of RAMSAR site within river basin district (ha): 6,150 5000 250 50 0 Area of World Heritage Site within river basin district (ha): 23,100 400 150 100 0 Area of SSSI within river basin district <50 (ha): 124,850 8,200 1,400 600 Area of Parks and Gardens within river basin district (ha): 6,250 400 100 150 0 Area of Scheduled Ancient Monument within river basin district (ha): 4,150 50 <50 <50 0 Number of Listed Buildings within river basin district: 12,140 420 390 340 <10 Number of Licensed water abstractions within the river basin 390 100 40 <10 0 district:
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Fig 6. Flooding from rivers and the sea -Risk to people
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Figure 7 Flooding from rivers and the sea- Risk to economic activity
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Figure 8 Flooding from rivers and the sea- Risk to the Natural and Historic Environment
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Flood Risk from reservoirs The Environment Agency regulates large raised reservoirs with regard to flood risk and provides guidance to reservoir ‘undertakers’ to help them manage their asset. Enforcement action may then be taken to seek improvements in some circumstances. The ‘flood risk map for reservoirs’ for the Northumbria river basin district, which can be found on the gov.uk website, shows what is at risk, including people, economic activity and the environment. There are 83 large raised reservoirs with the potential to flood areas of the river basin district. Under the Reservoirs Act 1975 the Environment Agency regulates all reservoirs with a capacity of 25,000 cubic metres or more, which could escape in the event of a dam failure. The Environment Agency is currently re-classifying high risk reservoirs. High-risk' reservoirs will be those reservoirs that, in the event of an uncontrolled release of water, could endanger human life. In the future the Environment Agency will continue to maintain a register of all reservoirs with a capacity of over 25,000 cubic metres, but will only fully regulate the ‘high-risk’ reservoirs. The statistics and maps below illustrate the extent of reservoir flood risk across the Northumbria river basin district. Table 7. Summary flood risk from reservoirs to people, economic activity and the natural and historic environment across the Northumbria river basin district.
Reservoirs Total in river basin Maximum extent district of flooding Risk to people: Number of people in river basin district: 2,786,700 56650 Number of services: 4690 250
Risk to economic activity: Number of non-residential properties: 223770 12910 Number of airports: 2 0 Length of roads (km): 1,550 70 Length of railway (km): 540 <50 Agricultural land (ha): 359,450 15,000
Risk to the natural and historic environment:
Number of EU designated bathing waters within 50m: 16 0 Number of EPR installations within 50m: 183 32 Area of SAC within river basin district (ha): 121,250 750 Area of SPA within river basin district (ha): 96,100 1,300 Area of RAMSAR site within river basin district (ha): 6,150 550 Area of World Heritage Site within river basin district (ha): 23,100 450 Area of SSSI within river basin district (ha): 124,850 1,650 Area of Parks and Gardens within river basin district (ha): 6,250 350 Area of Scheduled Ancient Monument within river basin 4,150 150 district (ha): Number of Listed Buildings within river basin district: 1,2140 1,030 Number of Licensed water abstractions within the river basin 390 100 district:
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Figure 9 Reservoir flood risk - Risk to people
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Figure 10 Reservoir flood risk - Risk to Economic activity
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Figure 11 Reservoir flood risk - Risk to the Natural and Historic Environment
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Flood risk from surface water Lead Local Flood Authorities manage surface water flooding, defined as rainwater on the ground surface that hasn’t entered a watercourse, drain or sewer. This type of flooding can begin to occur within minutes of intense rain, so it is almost impossible to forecast for. Problems can quickly occur in several places, and although these might be over a small area, a Local Authority’s resources can quickly become stretched. It is good practice to plan for drains and watercourses becoming overwhelmed in a flood, such as by analysing the flow paths that floodwater may take. Once these are known, steps can be taken to ensure they are kept free from obstructions such as buildings and to consider whether roads and open space can be used to safely channel water away. Surface water flooding is a problem across the area, whether due to run-off from fields and down roads in rural and semi-rural areas, or from roofs and paved surfaces in built-up areas, sometimes due to insufficient capacity of drains and sewers. The most notable surface water flooding in recent times was in June 2012 when a storm cell spread across the area and flooded extensive areas across much of the river basin district. In the long-term, Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) may relieve some pressures. In the short- term, Local Authorities have identified the places where properties are at greater risk of surface water flooding and will gather more data for some of these before considering a range of measures according to circumstances. Some of this will involve working closely with Northumbrian Water Ltd and the Environment Agency to jointly understand complex interactions between the drainage, sewer and watercourse systems. It is important to note, though, that laying a bigger drain is often not the solution, as this can simply pass the problem onto the receiving watercourse and that could then flood. Recent changes to the planning system have been implemented to encourage the use of SuDs for new development with the Lead Local Flood Authorities being charged with advising on drainage from new developments during the planning process. This will enable them to check, approve such systems while the planning permission will require maintenance of the systems to be in place. To date, most measures to limit run-off have been below ground, such as underground storage tanks or over-sized sewers. SuDS are usually above ground. They limit site run-off and can filter out some silt and contaminants. Common types of SuDS are ponds which fluctuate in level with rainfall, swales (wide grass ditches), soakaways and permeable pavements (block paving, sometimes with gravel beneath). The approach to be adopted requires infiltration to be considered first, then attenuation and discharge to a watercourse as the next option and only if these are impractical should attenuation with discharge to a sewer be considered. Retro-fitting of SuDS to existing buildings and land is also a way of reducing peak flows in drains/sewers and watercourses and can also help to reduce flooding and pollution. Prior to April 2015 the Environment Agency was also a statutory consultee for large developments, greater than 1ha in size in flood zone 1 (i.e. in areas at low risk of flooding from rivers and the sea). However, since 15 April 2015 this duty has now passed onto the Lead Local Flood Authorities who now provide local planning authorities with comments on surface water management for new development. This includes review of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) associated with new development.
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Table 8. Summary flood risk from surface water to people, economic activity and the natural and historic environment across the Northumbria river basin district.
Surface Water Total in High risk Medium Low risk river basin risk district Risk to people: Number of people in river basin district: 2,786,700 12,850 24,100 131,500 Number of services: 4,690 70 40 280
Risk to economic activity:
Number of non-residential properties: 223,750 2,100 2,550 11,950 Number of airports: 2 0 0 0 Length of roads (km): 1,550 80 70 230 Length of railway (km): 540 20 20 50 Agricultural land (ha): 359,450 8,650 4,200 15,100
Risk to the natural and historic environment: Number of EU designated bathing waters 16 0 0 0 within 50m: Number of EPR installations within 50m: 183 47 24 64 Area of SAC within river basin district (ha): 121,250 1,300 700 4,100 Area of SPA within river basin district (ha): 96,100 1,200 650 3,850 Area of RAMSAR site within river basin district 6,150 <50 <50 <50 (ha): Area of World Heritage Site within river basin 23,100 500 250 850 district (ha): Area of SSSI within river basin district (ha): 124,850 1,900 950 5000 Area of Parks and Gardens within river basin 6,250 200 50 250 district (ha): Area of Scheduled Ancient Monument within 4150 50 <50 150 river basin district (ha): Number of Listed Buildings within river basin 12140 360 80 280 district: Number of Licensed water abstractions within 390 80 <10 30 the river basin district:
Flood risk from groundwater LLFAs are responsible for managing the risk of flooding from Groundwater. Groundwater is naturally stored in the ground below the water table level. When the water table rises and reaches ground level, water starts to emerge on the surface and flooding can happen. This may be because the ground slopes, or because of a break in the rock layers. Once on the surface this groundwater may flow or pond. Historically, groundwater flooding has been rare in the Northumbria river basin district. However, the extensive mining heritage in the river basin district, resulted in large scale pumping of mine water which has lowered the groundwater levels over much of the area. The closure of the deep mines has resulted in reduced pumping taking place and as such ground water levels may start to return to a more natural, pre mining, levels. The impacts of these rising levels are not yet fully understood and a monitoring programme is in place to help understand the impact and potential for issues to occur in the future. The
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Environment Agency produces Catchment Abstraction Management Plans, which seek a sustainable approach. For example they aim to avoid the problem of over-abstraction and falling groundwater levels. In coastal/tidal areas that scenario can result in saline intrusion into groundwater. Flood risk from sewers Northumbrian Water supply water across the Northumbria River Basin District and are responsible for the sewers which take away wastewater and any surface water which drains into these sewers. Better outcomes can be gained by considering flood risk from sewers and other sources and then managing actions in an integrated manner with other organisations. However, this is not a mandatory requirement of Flood Risk Management Plans. Northumbrian Water attends regular partnership meetings with the Environment Agency and Lead Local Flood Authorities across the area. Data is actively shared across all of these Risk Management Authorities. Northumbrian Water produces their own computer modelling and collaborates and support modelling by others where there is flood risk from multiple sources, especially in those locations with higher risk. Such joint modelling has helped to provide a more accurate assessment of flood risk in a number of areas such as Morpeth, Killingworth and Newcastle. In addition to substantial programmes of capital work to address flood risk on their system, they carry out regular maintenance to manage and reduce flood risk to their customers. As other organisations, after any flooding, Northumbrian Water is involved in recovery work so that communities can return to normality.
Find out more
Interactive flood maps for flooding from rivers, the sea, reservoirs and surface water http://watermaps.environment- agency.gov.uk/wiyby/wiyby.aspx?lang=_e&topic=floodmap&layer#x=357683&y=355134& scale=2 Northumbria RBMP https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/river-basin-management-plans-2015 Current Ecological and Chemical Status of Water Bodies http://maps.environment- agency.gov.uk/wiyby/wiybyController?x=357683&y=355134&scale=1&layerGroups=defau lt&ep=map&textonly=off&lang=_e&topic=wfd_rivers#x=466704&y=403302&lg=1,7,8,9,5,6 ,&scale=3 The Environment Agency maintenance programme for rives and sea https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/river-and-coastal-maintenance-programme
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7 Sub-areas in the Northumbria river basin district
Introduction There are a number of sub-areas within the Northumbria river basin district, as shown in Figure 12 and outlined below. These sub-areas and issues in them are described in Catchment Summaries in Part B of the FRMP. These are: Catchments (which are set out according to WFD Management Catchments) Flood Risk Areas The Flood Risk Management plans were required for Flood Risk Areas. Significant Flood Risk areas as defined by the national guidance were identified through the Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment process. There were no Flood Risk Areas identified within the Northumbria River Basin District as defined by the national guidelines. Management catchments There are 4 catchments within the Northumbria River Basin District outlined below. These areas are the focus for engagement to enable a catchment based approach to water management. These are the same as the Water Framework Directive management catchments and are: Tees Wear Tyne Northumberland Rivers – this includes the rivers north of the River Tyne and includes the River Blyth, Wansbeck, Coquet, Aln and a number of the coastal streams draining to the north east coast. It does not include the Tweed and English tributaries of the Tweed which are in the separate Solway Tweed River Basin District As the Flood Risk Management Planning process continues over the years it is likely that these broad catchment areas will be further divided to allow measure to be further focused on operational areas and/or communities.
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Figure 12: Northumbria River Basin District showing Catchments.
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8 Conclusions, objectives and measures to manage risk for the Northumbria river basin district
This plan sets out the type of measures proposed to manage the risk. In developing the proposed measures the risk management authorities contributing have: drawn conclusions from hazard and risk maps and other sources of information: this helps us all to understand the risks or opportunities the risk management authorities are aiming to manage. developed risk management objectives (related to people and society, the economy and the environment) that set out the outcomes the risk management authorities are trying to achieve. identified the likely approach to managing risk using the following categories: preventing, preparing, protecting and recovering and review These conclusions, objectives and measures are set out for the Northumbria River Basin District. To provide an overview, this section also summarises the proposed measures for the sub-areas, but these are set out further in Part B.
Conclusions General The geographic position of the region, between the Pennines and the North Sea means that rainfall across the district varies greatly, with the highest rainfall in the west around the Pennines. More “flashy” catchments in the upper reaches of the catchments can lead to erosion of river channels and deposition of gravel. This is a natural process but can be a problem in some areas, where it can reduce the watercourse’s capacity to convey flows and cause higher water or flood levels. Gravel deposition occurs where flows slow down but doesn’t necessarily increase flood risk. Lowland and flatter watercourses flow more slowly and can deposit silt rather than gravel. We use inspections, surveys and computer models to understand the likely impact, when to act and by how much. We also need to consider the impact on fauna, especially fish, crayfish and pearl mussels, when doing such work. The Environment Agency maintains river channels mostly where there is flood risk to property, otherwise this is a ‘riparian owner’ (owner of land adjacent to a watercourse) responsibility and we provide advice on environmental constraints. The December floods have emphasised the need to be sure we have in place and implement the very best possible plans for flood management across the whole country. In response to these floods the Government has put in place a National Flood Resilience Review and Local Flood Partnerships in Cumbria and Yorkshire. It is working to strengthen or establish partnerships in the areas most affected by the December 2015 floods to encourage a more integrated approach to managing risk across the whole catchment. The outcomes of these initiatives will strengthen partnership working and complement the flood risk measures within the Flood Risk Management Plan to further reduce flood risk and increase resilience. Working with partners RMAs will look at the catchments strategically to consider future management. This may include a focus on upstream options and slowing the flow to reduce peak flows in the rivers. This will require partnership working between local residents, community groups, land owners and farmers and RMAs.
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The Environment Agency has set some prioritisation criteria and are producing ‘opportunity maps’ to help identify areas to investigate and potentially slow the flow. These maps overlay data for flood risk management with target areas for WFD and water quality improvements. Slowing the flow methods will be particularly suited to catchments with large rural upland areas, moderate to high rainfall and relatively quick run-off rates. National Farmers Union have commented that increased flooding of agricultural land, whether from climate change or a move to more natural ways of managing flooding, will require balancing against the need to ensure food security. This challenge may be further compounded by population growth and the need to produce or import food for more people and perhaps for export to a global market too. Food production close to the point of consumption is generally preferred. The challenge in the 21st century is therefore to increase productivity, maximise output, minimise inputs, achieve environmental sustainability whilst also adapting to a changing climate. The Office of National Statistics’ 2012-based projection suggests the UK population will increase by 9.6 million over the next 25 years from an estimated 63.7 million in mid-2012 to 73.3 million in mid-2037. Recent climate projections suggest flood flows could increase in future but acknowledge significant uncertainty. This depends on which scenario is used and the date range to be applied (2040 – 2069, or 2070 – 2115). Population increase and urban creep (trend for paving of driveways and similar) will further compound the increased flood risk predicted due to the changing climate. The Environment Agency is willing to work with Local Planning Authorities to help identify areas which may be most affected. However, this work is likely to fall short of extensive hydraulic modelling and detailed mapping of theoretical flood extents. The headline message is therefore: Flood risk is increasing, perhaps substantially, so Planners, Emergency Planners, Asset Managers and others will need to mitigate this through a mix of collaborative working, planning policies, use of ‘worst case’ scenarios, development of contingency plans and some detailed analysis.
Rivers and the Sea Of the 2.78 million people who live within the River Basin District, there are over 43000 (less than 2%) at risk from flooding from rivers or the sea. This compares to the 131000 people who are at some surface water flood risk. This level of risk isn’t the same across all the catchments with risk being higher Northumberland and Tees when compared to Wear and Tyne, this indicates that much of the development has been able to be built in less risk prone areas. When looking at non-residential properties the risk rises to just under 5% of properties across the River Basin District at risk possibly indicating the historic reasons for many commercial enterprises requiring easy access to ports and water. Key industries include agriculture and manufacturing. Over 6% of all agricultural land is at risk of flooding from rivers and the sea. 18% of Environmental Permitting Regulation sites, which include heavy manufacturing industry, intensive agriculture, waste and landfill sites, and aggregate industries, are at risk from river and sea flooding. On average, 4% of primary roads and 9% of railways are at risk from fluvial or tidal flooding. The Flooding of Winter 2015 /2016 is still been investigated and the findings from the event are likely to result in some modifications in plans for the short to medium term. Nationally and locally there has been a refocusing on upper catchment management and looking at upstream options for slowing flows into the river system with the hope that this will reduce peak levels in the rivers. While in the north east we have pioneered nationally significant schemes to demonstrate some of these techniques in Belford, we will continue to gather the evidence to support work where it can be demonstrated to be beneficial for flood risk.
Reservoir Flooding In Northumbria River Basin District there are 83 large raised reservoirs that hold at least 25,000m3 of water above natural ground level. The hazard maps show the largest area that might flood if a
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reservoir were to fail. The chances of a reservoir failing and causing flooding are very low; however the extent of flooding from a reservoir can be up to 50 miles from its source. This is because the local geography, such as valleys, can channel flood water long distances. There are over 56,000 people, 251 services (including hospitals, schools etc), 65km of primary roads and 45km of railways, 736 Ha of SAC, 1276 Ha of SPA and 543Ha of RAMSAR sites at risk from flooding from reservoirs. Under the Reservoirs Act 1975 the Environment Agency regulates all reservoirs with a capacity of 25,000m3 or more, which could escape in the event of a dam failure. The Environment Agency is currently re-classifying high risk reservoirs. In the future the Environment Agency will continue to maintain a register of all reservoirs with a capacity of over 25,000m3, but will only fully regulate the ‘high-risk’ reservoirs.
Surface Water Flooding While not currently included within this FRMP, surface water risk represents the greatest single source of flooding across the River Basin District with 131000 people shown as at risk of some level of surface water flood risk. Surface water flooding is included as part of the Local Flood Risk Management Strategies (LFRMS) which are being developed by the Lead Local Flood Authorities. The Environment Agency will work with the other RMAs to develop an understanding of risk across the river basin district. Given the significantly higher number of people at risk from surface water flooding it is important that the nature of this risk is more fully understood and look for opportunities to develop multiple flood source schemes. All the risk management authorities will work closely to understand the surface water risk identified in their strategies and will work to develop schemes and secure funding where available via the Flood and Coastal Risk Management Grant-in-Aid (FCRMGIA) process. Examples of such schemes are the ongoing works in Killingworth and Longbenton where a scheme is being developed to manage flood risk from rivers, surface water and sewer, while allowing capacity for future growth, creating new habitat and reducing pollution in the Ouseburn Catchment. Working across all RMAs we will be an active part of groups such as the Northumbrian Integrated Drainage Partnership to try and align funding from all sources to maximise efficiencies across the scheme development programme. For full detail on the nature of surface water risk across the river basin district, see the Local Flood Risk Management Strategy.
Other Sources of flooding There are other sources of flooding that affect the Northumbria River Basin District, such as groundwater flooding and sewer flooding. The Environment Agency does not have national scale modelling and mapping for these sources of flooding, and so it is not possible to draw conclusions about the risks in this FRMP at this stage. However these sources of flooding must always be considered when community flood risk management is undertaken. While groundwater flooding has historically been low, this is partly due to the geology, but also as a result of mine dewatering across the region. As such the decline in deep mines in the area has resulted in ground water levels rising in many areas. The Environment Agency will continue to monitor this and work with others to manage the risk as it develops. Overall the flood risk from main rivers, reservoirs and the sea is well managed across the River Basin District. As risk management authorities we are working together to identify opportunities to work together to reduce the risk of flooding further. Much of the work ongoing will be to investigate multiple sources of flood risk and where river flooding may increase the risk of other sources of flooding. The plan assesses each catchment and concludes with a short statement about the risks and the focus of flood risk management. These conclusions can be read within each catchment summary.
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Partnership working There are 4 Strategic Flood Risk Partnership Groups in the river basin district. These bring together Lead Local Flood Authorities, Environment Agency and Northumbrian Water. Groups are loosely based on counties. Their work provides mutual benefit and produces better outcomes for people and property at risk of flooding. We are also keen to work with others to align plans, to identify opportunities to achieve more for less. Maximising efficiencies in delivering environmental and flood risk benefits locally and strategically. The catchment based approach encourages local engagement and participation in decision- making. The Environment Agency are aware of a number of catchment partnerships, strategic groups, local action groups and volunteer bodies who we can work with to manage flood risk and make the environment a better place. We already work with many of these and as we implement this plan we will seek to engage further with relevant catchment partnerships and groups in order to deliver flood risk management outcomes and broader benefits.
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Objectives to manage risk for the Northumbria river basin district The objectives that have been set are those carried forward from Catchment Flood Risk Management Plans (CFMPs - the preceding fluvial flood risk management plans) and public consultation. The objectives set out the key factors that the measures should aim to tackle in each catchment. They cover social, economic and environment factors.
Social Understanding Flood Risk and Working in Partnership - Work in partnership with Risk Management Authorities and communities, as appropriate, to understand the risk of flooding from all sources of flooding. Partnership working will develop long-term plans to manage the risks with direct involvement from the community in the decision making process. Community Preparedness and Resilience - Reduce the consequences of flooding by enabling communities to take effective action before, during and after a flood. Community Disruption - Minimise the impact of flooding to community services such as schools, hospitals, nursing/care/retirement homes, police stations, fire and ambulance stations, sewage treatment works and electricity installations. Flood Risk and Development - Avoid inappropriate development in areas of flood and coastal erosion risk, seeking opportunities to reduce existing and future flood risk through new and future development plans. Reduce risk to people - Reduce flood risk to people and existing residential properties.. Maintain existing assets - Where justifiable flood risk benefits exist, minimise the risk of flooding to residential properties by maintaining current levels of flood risk management within areas that already benefit from flood defences. River, watercourse and tidal defence maintenance - Continue appropriate and affordable levels of river, watercourse and tidal defence maintenance. Reservoirs - Reduce the risk of flooding from reservoirs to people, property, infrastructure and the environment.
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Economic Reduce Economic damage - Reduce the economic damage of flooding to non-residential properties. Maintain existing assets - Where justifiable flood risk benefits exist, minimise the economic damage from flooding to non-residential properties by maintaining current level of flood risk management within areas that already benefit from flood defences. Transport Services - Minimise the risk of flooding to key transport links within the catchment such as railway lines, motorways, primary roads and trunk roads. River and watercourse maintenance - Undertake appropriate levels of channel maintenance to minimise the risk of flooding to non-residential properties. Minimise Flood Risk to Agricultural Land - Consider the value of agricultural land, the damages that can occur as a result of flooding and the importance of food security within the economic appraisal of maintenance and investment options for flood risk management. Tourism - Ensure that flood risk management activities do not adversely affect the tourism industry, and where possible enhance the attractiveness of our river and coastal environment to visitors.
Environmental Water Framework Directive (WFD) - Contribute to achieving WFD objectives across the Northumbria river basin district, by working with natural processes wherever possible, to manage flood risk through protecting and restoring the natural function of the catchment, rivers and flood plains. Designated Nature Conservation Sites - Minimise the negative impacts of flooding to designated nature conservation sites (SSSI, SPA, SAC and Ramsar sites) throughout the Northumbria river basin district, wherever possible contributing to the improvement of such sites. Designated Heritage Sites - Minimise the negative impacts of flooding to heritage assets and landscape value (SAMs, listed buildings and historic parks and gardens), wherever possible enhancing such assets. Water Quality - No adverse impact on water quality as a result of flooding. Measures across the Northumbria river basin district Many measures are specific to a catchment or smaller area such as communities. However there are some important measures which apply across the entire river basin district. Below is a summary of these river basin wide measures. More detailed catchment measures are available in the catchment summaries in Part B, and the full table of measures is included in Part C. Measures in FRMPs do not all have secured funding and are not guaranteed to be implemented. Money is allocated to all RMA measures in the same way and is based on current Government policy that gives the highest priority to lives and homes. Measures included are over and above RMA ‘flood risk management activities’ undertaken routinely, as explained in Section 4 – How to Manage Risk. The measures cover discrete pieces of work such as projects and campaigns. Preventing risk: 2 measures, which aim to prevent flooding. These are around future development and ongoing maintenance. Further details are below. Preparing for risk: 2 measures, which aim to prepare for flood risk. These are associated with reservoir planning and the Flood Warning Service. Further details are below. Protecting from risk: 1 measure, to ensure that all ‘high-risk’ reservoirs will continue to be regulated in accordance with the Reservoirs Act 1975. Further details are below. Recovery and review of risk: 1 ongoing measures relating to this category of measure for the Northumbria river basin district. Further details are below. 66 of 75
Preventing risk: Preventing inappropriate development. The Environment Agency work closely with planning authorities and advise on development proposals. This considers both the risk to the new development and also the existing development to ensure that flood risk is fully considered in planning decisions. This work reduces the potential for development to be built at risk of flooding and potentially use the development process to reduce risk to existing communities and development. The Environment Agency also regulate proposed works in main rivers to ensure that any proposals do not increase flood risk through the flood consenting work process, coupled with the enforcement actions that are available to rectify works which have been carried out without permissions. The Environment Agency support sustainable growth, a good example of which is how the Environment Agency and Lead Local Flood Authorities liaise with Local Enterprise Partnership to seek match-funding opportunities for flood and coastal risk management work and sustainable economic growth. We do this by: Sharing flood risk data and flood and coastal risk management programme and investment proposals. Seek growth site details from Local Enterprise Partnerships including locations, programme and investment. Identify flood risk constraints to growth and how sites can be more resilient to climate change.
River Maintenance The Environment Agency carry out a robust river maintenance programme on the main rivers throughout the river basin district. The level of work is based on the amount of flood risk in the area, with the higher risk areas benefitting from more extensive work to maintain conveyance and to ensure flood risk assets are maintained to an appropriate standard to protect communities. The area is split into groups of flood risk assets such as defences and critical sections of river, called Asset Systems, a maintenance plan for each system is prepared and maintained. This work is vital in ensuring that flood defences, where installed are operational when needed. The proactive clearing works minimise the risk of blockages during floods which can cause severe flooding.
Preparing for risk: Flood Warning and Response The Environment Agency operates an extensive flood warning service throughout the River Basin District. There are over 100 warning areas for which the Agency offers a free service to over 11000 properties across the area. This aims to provide warning of flooding to homeowners and businesses allowing them to Prepare and respond before flooding commences. This can include installing temporary defences to stop their property from flooding or moving valuables to safer areas to reduce the impact of the flooding. The Environment Agency also works closely with the 3 Local Resilience Forums across the region to ensure that all professional responders are aware of likely flood risk areas. The Local Resilience Forums have all developed and maintain a Multi-Agency Flood Plan which includes actions to be carried out during flood events. Ongoing proactive work includes actions to support the impacted communities with actions ranging from developing community flood plans and encouraging individuals to make personal flood plans, to planning for extreme events and identifying community facilities which may be made available as rest centres and the like. These plans help communities to be adaptable and more resilient to 67 of 75
flooding. There are a number of communities, such as Skinningrove and Morpeth, which have developed community plans. We continue to support those communities.
Reservoir Planning All Environment Agency ‘high risk’ reservoirs have on-site reservoir plans in place.
Protecting from risk: Reservoir Regulation All ‘high-risk’ reservoirs are regulated in accordance with the Reservoirs Act 1975 – this is already monitored through business measures.
Recovery and review of risk: Debrief Process As part of the Local Resilience Forums the RMAs take part in all flooding incident debrief processes to assess lessons learnt and to apply them to the plans to improve our overall response to flooding. These processes are also exercised regularly to ensure that plans are as robust as they can be. Other
There is also a programme of modelling carried out to better understand the current and future flood risk throughout the River Basin District. If the modelling programme demonstrates that there may be opportunities to address flood risk locally then further investigation into the area will be carried out. We work with the other risk management authorities to identify areas where there may be further opportunities to reduce risk locally. If opportunities are identified then working with the local council and the local community options are developed and funding sought from local and national sources.
Flood Risk Management Plan contribution to broader benefits Links with the Northumbria River Basin Management Plan
The strategic aims, objectives and principles of the National Strategy for Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management are outlined in section 3. The overall aim of the strategy 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’. The strategy promotes the development of broader benefits to communities related to flood risk management through a range of guiding principles i.e. Community focus and partnership working A catchment and coastal cell based approach Sustainability Proportionate, risk based approaches Multiple benefits Beneficiaries should be encouraged to invest in risk management The specific guiding principles for ‘Sustainability’ and ‘Multiple benefits’ more specifically cover how: Risk management authorities should manage risks in ways that take account of all impacts
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Flood risk management solutions should be adaptable to climate change Flood risk management solutions should enhance the environment The ability of communities to shape risk management actions to take account of local priorities Flood and coastal risk management (FCRM) can bring significant economic, environmental and social benefits (‘It can enhance and protect the built, rural and natural environments, cultural heritage and biodiversity..’) FCRM should avoid damaging the environment, including the historic environment FCRM should wherever possible work with natural processes FCRM should always seek to provide environmental benefit as required by the Habitats, Birds and Water Framework Directives In taking forward the National Strategy for Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management, FRMPs have set out a range of social, economic and environmental objectives that include wider benefits alongside the delivery of flood risk management outcomes – see the following sections. These have been informed by considering how the FRMP relates to other plans and wider policies and objectives. In particular, how the FRMP links to the River Basin Management Plans to contribute to a more integrated approach to water management planning, and also to the priorities of Natura 2000 sites that are the subject of recent Site Improvement Plans. The following sections provide more details of this.
Links with the Northumbria River Basin Management Plan
The main aims of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) are to return rivers and the water environment to a state, as free from human influence as possible. Aspects of this include reversing some of the ways in which water bodies have been physically modified in the past, improving water quality and bio-diversity and improving the quality of bathing waters. To achieve this, work by the Water Company, farmers and business is regulated by the Environment Agency and complemented by a programme of works by the Environment Agency and others to remove some structures from rivers. The Northumbria FRMP promotes a range of benefits that will contribute to the RBMP through re- naturalisation, water quality improvements, bathing water improvements and natural flood management. The following table summarises the WFD outcomes expected to be delivered through flood risk management programmes by the end of the cycle 2 of the RBMP by 2021:
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Table 9 RBMP outcomes related to flood risk management programmes by 2021 Type of FCERM programme actions No of Hectares of Hectares of Kilometres of actions water intertidal rivers protected dependent habitat created under EU habitat created to help meet Habitats/Birds or improved to the objectives Directive help meet the of WFD for improved to objectives of protected areas help meet the WFD objectives of WFD FCERM actions addressing remedies and 1 50 0 0 threats to water dependent sites designated under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 (SSSIs) that will deliver a WFD outcome. FCERM actions addressing requirements 10 98 32 2 for consent of flood works such as planning, EIA, HRA etc. FCERM actions (over and beyond other 4 85 0 0 measures) to ensure compliance with the RBMP. FCERM actions that deliver WFD 1 0 0 0 outcomes from works that contribute to the England Biodiversity Strategy. Total 16 233 32 2
Northumbria opportunities for linked work Opportunities are being taken to return rivers and the water environment to as natural a state as possible under the aims of the Water Framework Directive. This involves removing redundant structures such as weirs, culverts, embankments and channel retaining walls and other work to make fish and eel passage easier. The Environment Agency’s ‘integrated environment programme’ is targeting all of these. A key focus of WFD is improving water quality in rivers and bathing water quality at the coast, which can be adversely affected by discharges from the sewer network, or by industry, agriculture and diffuse sources such as roads. Freeing up capacity in sewers and drains is one way of reducing flood risk and potentially pollution and so helping to improve water quality. Sustainable drainage systems and other forms of run-off attenuation are a part of this solution. Guided by the Water Framework Directive the Environment Agency is looking at where previous ‘physical modifications’ to waterbodies can be reversed, such as opening up culverts and removing weirs, river channel walls and flood defences that are no longer required. Across the river basin district, there are several projects that have been successful in delivering both flood risk benefits and improvements to the wider environment. Examples of these measures in the river basin district include projects that will deliver improvements on the Ouseburn, Billingham Beck, River Skerne and a range of other urban watercourses. Amongst these the Skerne Bright Water Landscape Partnership will deliver a range of mitigation measures on a heavily modified river, with extensive channel restoration and 50 hectares of flood plain wetland creation. The project is being taken forward as a Heritage Lottery Funded Landscape Partnership with a Stage 1 application submitted. The project is a great example of partnership working, with Durham and Darlington Councils, Durham Wildlife Trust, Tees River Trust and a range of other organisations participating. The
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Landscape Partnership also will support wider improvement to built and cultural heritage, all focussed around the restoration of the River Skerne. Another project taking forward action under the Water Framework Directive is the Living Waterways project. This project is working on failing waterbodies in urban settings and re- engaging local communities with their management. These waterbodies are often heavily modified and neglected, with associated flood risks. River and Wildlife Trusts are working with communities at target locations to identify how flood risk can be reduced, awareness raised and mitigation measures delivered to restore habitat or reduce diffuse pollution. The project brings together all of the issues for urban streams to allow holistic assessment of the best opportunities for improvement. Works will include deculverting, stream channel restoration, wetland creation, stream clearance and work to address wrong connections. This process leads to communities making more use of these spaces, with wider social benefits resulting. The project is targeting 14 waterbodies in Northumberland, Durham, Newcastle and Teesside and is supported with external funding, including Local Levy, as well as Defra grant in aid. The measures can also help us deliver broader benefits, in particular to biodiversity, water and ecological quality. In parallel to flood risk management planning, the Environment Agency works with others to improve the quality of the water environment through River Basin Management Planning. The Environment Agency aims to co-ordinate effectively between the FRMP and River Basin Management Plan so that all organisations can do more for the environment.
Other Plans and Partnerships Table 11 sets out the key themes from a review of the main other plans and strategies that the Northumbria FRMP would be expected to influence. The purpose of the review is to take account of the objectives of these key documents in the assessment with a view to aligning and ensuring compliance of the plan with other policies and legislation. The plan review can also help to identify where other planning processes and organisations may be able to work with the flood risk management planning process. It is taken from the Environmental Report for the Northumbria FRMP.
Table 10 Key influences from the plans review (from SEA Report) Category of Common themes relevant to the FRMP Key plans plan /strategy Water and Protection, improvement, sustainable The national flood and coastal erosion flood risk management and use of the water risk management strategy for England management environment in terms of quantity and quality – Water for people and the for the benefit of the human and natural environment: Water resources environment. strategy for England and Wales Flood risk management measures could place Water white paper: Water for life pressure on water bodies and any measure to Catchment flood risk management be implemented would have to be Water plans Framework Directive compliant. Shoreline management plans An update to the Northumbria river basin Surface water management plans management plan is being prepared in parallel Northumbrian Water Drought Plan to the FRMP. The strategic environmental Northumbria river basin management assessment for the FRMP will include a check plan on the alignment with the RBMP.
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Category of Common themes relevant to the FRMP Key plans plan /strategy Biodiversity Protection and enhancement of important Natural environment white paper: The habitats and species, both from a statutory natural choice: Securing the value of basis (International and National conservation nature designations and protected species) and Biodiversity 2020: A strategy for through policy. England’s wildlife and ecosystem Promotion of coherent ecological networks. services Promotion of working with natural processes Coastal squeeze: Implications for flood and sustainable development/management. management. The requirements of Tackling the issue of non native invasive The European Birds and Habitats species Directives. Defra policy guidance. Flood risk management measures could place The invasive and non-native species pressure on habitats and species, and work framework strategy for Great Britain against natural processes. Newcastle and North Tyneside Biodiversity Action Plan Northumberland National Park Biodiversity Action Plan River Till restoration plan Landscape Protection of existing sensitive landscapes All landscapes matter (such as National Parks and AONBs) Northumberland National Park Promotion of actions to improve water quality Management Plan and water quantity, protect and enhance Area of outstanding natural beauty habitats, and restore the wider landscape (AONB) management Plans character Flood risk management measures could place pressure on sensitive landscapes, and lead to changes in water quality, quantity and change in habitat type. Climate Long term aims for reduction of carbon dioxide Managing the environment in a emissions including binding targets, and wide- changing climate reaching policies across all sectors to deliver The national flood and coastal erosion reductions. risk management strategy for England Requirements to adapt to climate change and associated threats, the need for increased resilience to climate change. Likely increase in flooding and coastal erosion due to climate change. Marine and Sustainable economic growth that balances UK Marine Policy Statement Coastal benefits to society with the needs of local Marine Plan for East Inshore and East communities and protecting nature Offshore conservation. Flood risk management measures can enable growth Flood risk management measures would need to be in alignment with planning policies. Cultural Sustainable development in relation to historic The Government’s Statement on the heritage assets through conservation and Historic Environment for England 2010 enhancement. Heritage at Risk 2012: North East The historic environment could be affected by LLFA Core Strategies flood risk management measures e.g. through the construction of new flood risk management schemes, implementation of fish/eel passage on flood risk management assets, etc and as such any such measures would need to be appropriately assessed.
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Category of Common themes relevant to the FRMP Key plans plan /strategy Resource Promotion of sustainable waste and resource LLFA Minerals and Waste Plans management management and the protection and enhancement of the environment. Planning Promotion of sustainable growth National Planning Policy Framework Flood risk management measures can enable LLFA Core Strategies growth Flood risk management measures would need to be in alignment with planning policies. Development activities could place pressure on the water bodies and would need to be appropriately management and assessed to ensure no detrimental effect to the water environment. Forestry Protection, management and enhancement of Government Forestry and Woodlands woods and forests to provide economic, social Policy and environmental benefits e.g. managing flood risk in a sustainable way, and helping to reduce water pollution
Links to Northumbria Designated Site Plans The FRMP aims to contribute to the specific plans of designated conservation sites and these are set out as proposed actions in specific plans and related to FCERM and the relevant Risk Management Authorities. These include actions in the Northumbria river basin district Site Improvement Plans for the following European designated sites: Northumbria river basin district Natura 2000 sites with Site Improvement Plans
Border Mires and Kielder Butterburn
Durham Coast
Newham Fen
North Pennines Group
Northumberland Coastal
Roman Wall Loughs
Simonside Hills
Teesmouth & Cleveland Coast
Find out more
Flood and Coastal Change https://www.gov.uk/browse/environment-countryside/flooding-extreme-weather/flooding- and-coastal-change Northumbria RBMP https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/river-basin-management-plans-2015 National Planning Policy Framework https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-planning-policy-framework--2
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9 Implementing the plan
Flood risk management plans (FRMPs) are produced every 6 years and describe the sources, risks and measures to manage flooding within a river basin and catchment. Implementing the measures in the FRMP will be carried out by risk management authorities (RMAs) working with partners and communities. RMAs are invited to submit details of proposed flood and coastal erosion risk management work to the Environment Agency who administer funds on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). These proposals are combined with Environment Agency proposed schemes and local regional flood and coastal committee (RFCC) funded projects to form a programme of work. Funding is allocated in line with government policy and priorities. Not all of the measures identified will be implemented over the six year lifetime of this plan. Some measures require further work such as technical feasibility assessment, consultation with land and property owners, as well as assessing impacts on other river functions. Some measures may be disproportionately costly or unable to raise the necessary partnership funding to enable them to go ahead at this time. All of these issues are considered by the RFCCs, which are set up by Defra to scrutinise and approve the flood risk plans proposed by the Environment Agency (EA) and lead local flood authorities (LLFAs). There may be additional measures implemented alongside those in this plan on a national and local basis as a result of the National Flood Resilience Review and the work by the Local Flood Partnerships in Cumbria and Yorkshire.
The Catchment based approach The catchment based approach encourages local engagement and participation in decision- making. The Environment Agency are aware of a number of catchment partnerships, strategic groups, local action groups and volunteer bodies who can work together to manage flood risk and make the environment a better place. While already working with many of these it will be beneficial to engage further with relevant catchment partnerships and groups in order to deliver flood risk management outcomes and broader benefits during the implementation of this plan and onwards. Monitoring delivery of measures During the planning and implementation cycle the Environment Agency will monitor progress in delivering the measures set out in the FRMP and report progress annually to the relevant Regional Flood and Coastal Committees and review the FRMP every 6 years, as required by the Flood Risk Regulations.
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