East Riding of Yo rkshire Council Local Flood Risk Management Strategy March 2015 Consultation Draft "Reducing flood risk, sustaining communities, enabling growth" EAST RIDING OF YORKS HIRE LOCAL FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT STRATEGY CONSULTATION DRAFT MARCH 2015 ©2015. East Riding of Yorkshire Council. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior permission of the East Riding of Yorkshire Council 3 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Introducing the Local Flood Risk Management Strategy for the East Riding of Yorkshire The Local Flood Risk Management Strategy (Local FRM Strategy) sets out what the Council intends to do, working with organisations, businesses and communities, to manage the risk of flooding in the East Riding of Yorkshire over the next 10-15 years. It is of interest to all who live and work in the area, as managing the risk of flooding requires action by everyone. It is of interest to organisations that have specific responsibilities for managing flood risk such as the Environment Agency, Internal Drainage Boards and the Highways Agency, as they are legally required to act in a manner that is consistent with it in exercising these flood risk duties, and must also have regard to it in carrying out other work they do that may affect flood risk. Water companies are also legally required to have regard to the Local FRM Strategy in relation to their flood risk management functions. Putting flood risk into context As recent times have shown, many parts of the East Riding are susceptible to flooding, and the impacts can be wide ranging and severe. The East Riding is in fact ranked within the top ten areas in the country with the highest number of homes in high risk flood areas. Approximately 79% of residential properties and 85% of businesses in the area are at risk from one or more sources of flooding, together with 56% of the area’s agricultural land. There is also a significant proportion of infrastructure and community facilities at risk, including 71% of the area’s main roads, including key evacuation routes. A significant proportion of the area’s heritage assets are also at risk, including 76% of the area’s listed buildings, and some of the area’s most important sites for wildlife conservation, for example 60% of the Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in the area. The predominant flood risk in the East Riding is tidal flooding, as this has the potential to cause the most destruction compared to other sources. Analysis shows that without effective defences on the Humber, as much as 20% (32,340) of the area’s residential properties and 23% (3,210) of commercial properties are at risk, together with 20% of the area’s agricultural land. The existing defences offer a level of protection to the communities, businesses and infrastructure at risk. However, the tidal surge of December 2013 demonstrated that these need improving and maintaining in a number of locations if the impacts and damages associated with tidal flooding are to be avoided in the future. The next most significant risk in the East Riding is surface water flooding, such as that witnessed in June 2007, where the area experienced unprecedented flooding and damages following exceptionally heavy and prolonged rainfall. The existing drainage infrastructure and public sewers are not designed to cope with such volumes of rainwater. Analysis shows that approximately 11% of the area’s residential properties (16,486) and 22% of commercial properties (3,086) are at risk, as well as significant proportions of listed buildings (316), main roads (83km), community facilities and utilities infrastructure. The Council is producing a series detailed studies of surface water flood risk to improve the quality of surface water risk mapping in the area, to provide a better understanding of and an ability to plan for this risk. Climate change is expected to increase the level of flood risk in the future, from all sources. Increased rainfall will increase the likelihood of river flooding and surface water flooding, placing additional pressure on drains, sewers and water quality, while higher sea levels will 5 not only increase the likelihood and impact of tidal inundation and coastal erosion, but also the risk of flooding from inland watercourses, as the window for these to discharge into the sea/estuary diminishes. Hydraulic modelling of future tidal overtopping scenarios on the Humber Estuary without adaptation indicate a large tidal flooding event will occur in the next 50 years, causing over £30 billion of damages. Roles and responsibilities for flood risk management The responsibility for managing flood risk lies with organisations such as the Council, Environment Agency (EA), Internal Drainage Boards and water companies, but also with private individuals and property owners. For instance, the Council has a number of roles and functions in relation to flood and coastal erosion risk management: Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA); Coastal Erosion Risk Management Authority; Land Drainage Authority; Local Highway Authority; Local Planning Authority; and Category 1 (Emergency) Responder. Since the June 2007 flooding the Council has taken substantial steps to strengthen its involvement in flood risk management and develop its role as a LLFA. The Council’s investment plans allow for a substantial programme of flood and coastal alleviation work of around £130 million1 over the next 6 years. The first of a number of large-scale Council-led flood alleviation projects, the Cottingham Raywell Valley Flood Alleviation Scheme, was completed in 2011, reducing direct surface water flood risk to approximately 240 houses at a cost £0.5 million. Other large scale flood storage areas currently being progressed include the Willerby and Derringham Flood Alleviation Scheme (WaDFAS) and the Cottingham and Orchard Park flood alleviation scheme (COPFAS). Together these schemes will reduce risk to approximately 12,000 residential and commercial properties within west Hull and Haltemprice. The EA has an important operational role in the area, with responsibility for carrying out maintenance on main rivers and flood risk management infrastructure and issuing flood warnings and responding to flood emergencies. There are also a number of Internal Drainage Boards in the East Riding which are responsible for maintaining ‘ordinary’ watercourses in low-lying areas. Many of the hydraulic catchments in the East Riding are heavily engineered, modified over time for navigation and land drainage purposes. Typically they are made up of a series of ditches (cuttings) and dykes (embanked raised watercourses), which are aided by pumping stations and tidal control structures that allow effectual drainage to the Humber Estuary. These systems require ongoing maintenance and improvement, otherwise low-lying areas would revert back to inhabitable intertidal saltmarsh and freshwater carr (swamp), incapable of sustaining agriculture, industry or population. In the urban areas, Yorkshire Water is critical to managing the risk of flooding by maintaining the public sewer network. This is particularly the case within the Haltemprice settlements and the town of Goole, where its effectiveness is not only reliant on the capacity of the sewerage system but also on the operation of terminal public sewerage pumping stations. Decision making on flood risk management Decisions about how and what flood risk management activities are undertaken by the RMAs and other organisations are overseen through different structures and protocols within tiers of national and local government. There are a number of formal committees, boards and fora that facilitate partnership working and engagement between RMAs and 1 Subject to technical approval 6 others locally on flood risk management. The Council set up a multi-agency Flood Protection and Resilience Board for this purpose in 2008, following the flooding of June 2007. This Local FRM Strategy considers strengthening this arrangement further through creating a formal Lead Local Flood Authority Board. The Council is also working closely with the recently established Humber Local Enterprise Partnership (HLEP), which has a developing role in overseeing local flood risk management. The recent £103.7m ‘Growth Deal’ funding awarded to the HLEP allocated £44.6m of for flood and coastal risk management projects. As part of this agreement, the Humber LEP is allowed to contribute to local risk management authorities' decisions on local priorities and the use of national and locally raised funding allocated to their area to support the implementation of the projects. Policy context The Local FRM Strategy is one of a number of policies, strategies and plans that guide and influence decisions on flood risk management in the area. For instance, the Local FRM Strategy must align with the National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy. At the sub-national level, relevant plans include the Humber Flood Risk Management Plan, Humber River Basin Management Plan, Humber Estuary Flood Risk Management Strategy, River Hull Integrated Catchment Strategy and Humber Strategic Economic Plan. At the local level, the Local FRM Strategy is aligned with the Council’s Business Plan, Local Plan and Multi- Agency Flood Plan to ensure priorities are coordinated and robust. Funding streams The main source of funding for flood and coastal erosion risk management is the national Flood Defence Grant in Aid (FDGiA), administered by the Environment Agency on behalf