North West Yorkshire Level 1 Strategic Flood Risk Assessment Volume II: Technical Report FINAL Report April 2010 Harrogate Borough Council Council Office Crescent Gardens Harrogate North Yorkshire HG1 2SG With Craven District Council and Richmondshire District Council North West Yorkshire Level 1 SFRA Volume II: Technical Report FINAL Report April 2010 Harrogate Borough Council Council Office Crescent Gardens Harrogate North Yorkshire HG1 2SG JBA Office JBA Consulting The Brew House Wilderspool Park Greenall's Avenue Warrington WA4 6HL JBA Project Manager Judith Stunell Revision History Revision Ref / Date Issued Amendments Issued to Initial Draft: Initial DRAFT report Linda Marfitt 1 copy of report 9th October 2009 by email (4 copies of report, maps and Sequential Testing Spreadsheet on CD) Includes review comments from Linda Marfitt (HBC), Linda Marfitt (HBC), Sian John Hiles (RDC), Sam Watson (CDC), John Hiles Kipling and Dan Normandale (RDC) and Dan Normandale FINAL report (EA). (EA) - 1 copy of reports, Floodzones for Ripon and maps and sequential test Pateley Bridge updated to spreadsheet on CD) version 3.16. Contract This report describes work commissioned by Harrogate Borough Council, on behalf of Harrogate Borough Council, Craven District Council and Richmondshire District Council by a letter dated 01/04/2009. Harrogate Borough Council‟s representative for the contract was Linda Marfitt. Judith Stunell and Mike Williamson of JBA Consulting carried out this work. Prepared by......................Judith Stunell BSc, PhD, MCIWEM, CEnv Principal Analyst Prepared by......................Michael Williamson BSc MSc Analyst Reviewed by.....................Chris Isherwood BSc CertWEM DipWEM Analyst Purpose This document has been prepared as a final report for Harrogate Borough Council. JBA Consulting accepts no responsibility or liability for any use that is made of this document other than by the Client for the purposes for which it was originally commissioned and prepared. JBA Consulting has no liability regarding the use of this report except to Harrogate Borough Council. 2009s0266 Vol 2 - Technical Report -rev 4 FINAL.docx i Acknowledgements JBA would like to thank those who provided information and data for this report. From Harrogate Borough Council: Linda Marfitt and Mike Wood. From Craven District Council: Sian Watson and Laura Kennedy. From Richmondshire District Council: John Hiles and Nick Rourke. From the Environment Agency: Dan Normandale, Jonathan Boyes and Sam Kipling. From North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service: Carol Haughton. From Yorkshire Water: Stephanie Walden. Copyright © Jeremy Benn Associates Limited 2010 Carbon Footprint 808g A printed copy of the main text in this document will result in a carbon footprint of 635g if 100% post-consumer recycled paper is used and 808g if primary-source paper is used. These figures assume the report is printed in black and white on A4 paper and in duplex. JBA is a carbon neutral company and the carbon emissions from our activities are offset. 2009s0266 Vol 2 - Technical Report -rev 4 FINAL.docx ii Executive Summary Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) have a raft of issues to consider when planning future development. These are dictated by Government Planning Policy Statements. Planning Policy Statement 25 (PPS25) relates to development and the constraint of flood risk, with its overarching aim of avoiding development in flood risk areas. This is achieved through application of the sequential approach, meaning that development should be avoided in flood risk areas wherever possible before considering the vulnerability of development planned or possible mitigation measures. The sequential approach is governed by two tests; the Sequential and Exception Test. The consideration of flood risk to people and development must be considered by the LPA at the earliest stage of spatial planning decisions and these tests allows this process to be transparent and effective. In order to carry out these tests a coherent understanding of flood risk is needed at a local level. High level policy and guidance documents such as Catchment Flood Management Plans (CFMPs), Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs) and Regional Flood Risk Appraisals (RFRA) have provided a good introduction in to flood risk; however they do not provide the level of detail required for the LPA to make the right spatial planning decisions. Strategic Flood Risk Assessments (SFRAs) offer this local level of understanding. SFRAs provide the LPA with a central source of all relevant flood risk information and the evidence base to make planning decisions and develop focused local policies required to inform the Local Development Framework (LDF). The SFRA therefore becomes a key planning tool that enables the LPA to select sustainable site allocations. A Level 1 SFRA offers the foundation of this evidence base. It is based purely on the collation of existing flood risk information. The Environment Agency Flood Map is the main source of fluvial and tidal flood information across England and Wales and is the basis of PPS25 Flood Zones used in the Sequential Test. The Level 1 SFRA must also consider flooding from all other sources (surface water, sewers, groundwater and artificial sources). This is only achievable through consulting with those stakeholders with specific interest or knowledge in other sources of flooding. The Level 1 SFRA is assisted greatly by the use of Strategic Flood Risk Maps providing information on flood risk factors needed to be taken into account. The PPS25 Flood Zone Map enables the LPA to carry out the first sweep of Sequential Testing. The additional maps produced as part of the Level 1 SFRA should be used during the Sequential Test „sieving‟ process to further identify inappropriate development. Once the LPA has carried out the Sequential Test sieving process, they still may wish to allocate vulnerable development in high risk areas due to the wider need for economic growth and regeneration. In this case the allocations must pass the Exception Test. The evidence provided in the Level 1 SFRA is not detailed enough to justify development through the Exception Test. In order to achieve this Level 2 SFRA must be carried out. A Level 2 SFRA would provide the LPA with a detailed understanding of flood hazard, assessing flood depth, velocity and residual risks such as flood defence breaching or overtopping. The information provided in the Level 2 SFRA will give the LPA a much more detailed understanding of flood risk at potential development sites. Although, it will not provide all the information needed to apply the Exception Test. It will indicate the appropriateness of the development and the likelihood of it remaining safe if flooded. If the LPA has justified the development by passing parts a) and b) of the Exception Test, it must be supported by a site specific Flood Risk Assessment (FRA) in order to pass part c). 2009s0266 Vol 2 - Technical Report -rev 4 FINAL.docx iii North West Yorkshire Level 1 SFRA This report has been produced as a Level 1 SFRA for Harrogate Borough Council, Craven District Council and Richmondshire District Council, in accordance with PPS25 and its Practice Guide. The Level 1 SFRA is presented in two volumes, each with their own purpose and intended audience. Volume I: User Guide Volume I of the North West Yorkshire SFRA contains an introduction to the SFRA process and guidance on the use of the SFRA targeted at: ● Spatial Planners ● Development Control ● Developers ● Flood Risk Management ● Emergency Planners Volume I has a number of appendices outlining flood risk concepts, Hierarchy of flood risk assessment, the planning framework including an overview of relevant policies plans and strategies that inform the SFRA, stakeholder engagement in the SFRA process, Flood risk zones, classification of vulnerability and approach to sustainable drainage methods. These provide a brief understanding of the mechanisms of flooding and flood risk for those new to the subject. More importantly it provides a comprehensive discussion on PPS25, the Sequential and Exception Test and links the Flood Risk Management framework within national, regional and local flood risk assessments. Volume II: Level 1 SFRA Technical Report Volume II provides the technical information and methods used in the assessment of flood risk across North West Yorkshire. It initially begins with the „Consultation & Data Management‟ section, identifying key stakeholders and their involvement in the SFRA process flowed by a review of important data sources within the SFRA. The main sections within the report focuses on the assessment of all sources of flooding include; fluvial, tidal, surface water, sewers, groundwater and reservoirs and other artificial sources. The Volume also introduces the Environment Agency Flood Warning System. As discussed flood risk has many dimensions and as a result has been presented through a suite of maps. These are based on existing information from stakeholders including the Environment Agency, Harrogate, Craven and Richmondshire Councils, Yorkshire Water, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and North Yorkshire County Council. The SFRA maps include: Maps Title Reference Set A PPS25 Flood Zones H1-26, C1-10, R1-13 Set B 1 in 100 Year Flood Depths H1-46, C1-6, R1-23 Set C 1 in 100 Year Flood Hazards H1-46, C1-6, R1-23 Set D Climate Change Sensitivity H1-9, C1-4, R1-3 Set E Flood Risk Management H1-19, C1-6, R1-7 Set F Refined Surface Water Flooding H1-H9, C1-C9 Set G Historical Flooding H1-4, C1-2, R1-3 Volume II along with the suite of SFRA maps should provide the evidence base of the North West Yorkshire Level 1 SFRA. It has been arranged in one volume to allow technical information to be easily updated when reviewed. Section 6 provides the results of the first pass of the Sequential Test against Harrogate BC, Craven DC and Richmondshire DC development allocation sites. Section 7, 8 and 9 contain tables summarising key information for sites in the three LPAs.