Flooding, Drought & Water Consumption Issues Paper - January 2012 Contents 1 FLOODING, DROUGHT AND WATER CONSUMPTION 1 1.1 Summary 1 1.2 Purpose 1 1.3 What is flooding, drought and water consumption? 2 1.4 Flooding, drought and water consumption ‘portrait’ of Cornwall 2 1.5 What is the role of the Core Strategy? 4 1.6 Relevant policy context 4 1.7 Relevant evidence and research 6 1.8 Emerging Evidence and Policy 10 1.9 Gaps in evidence 10 1.10 Key Messages from the Context and Evidence Review 10 1.11 SWOT analysis 12 1.12 Climate Change Considerations 13 1.13 Main Spatial Planning Issues 14 1.14 Appendix A 14 1.15 Appendix B 16 Flooding, Drought & Water Consumption Issues Paper - January 2012 Contents Flooding, Drought & Water Consumption Issues Paper - January 2012 1 Flooding, Drought & Water Consumption Issues Paper - January 2012 1 Flooding, Drought and Water Consumption 1.1 Summary Flooding, drought and water consumption are important matters to consider in the planning process, especially taking into account Cornwall’s changing climate and its impact on water quantities in the county. This paper examines each of these matters and identifies the main issues for the Core Strategy as: Issue FDWC1 – Consider ways to deal with flood risk Issue FDWC2 – Consider ways to control surface water runoff Issue FDWC3 – Consider ways to minimise water consumption and maximise water recycling in new development 1.2 Purpose This is one in a series of papers dealing with a specific theme. Each can be read in isolation or together with other papers to gain a wider understanding of issues facing Cornwall. This paper sets out the evidence base and the policy context for flooding, drought and water consumption and describes how the issues that need to be addressed in relation to flooding, drought and water consumption could be taken forward in the Core Strategy. The issues papers will form the first stage of the development of options for Core Strategy policy. Other issues papers available in this series include: Housing Economy Tourism Retail & town centres Education & skills Social inclusion Crime & anti-social behaviour Sport recreation & open space Health Transport & accessibility Energy Climate change Soil, air & water quality Biodiversity & geodiversity Landscape & seascape Historic environment Design & efficient use of resources Agriculture & food 2 Flooding, Drought & Water Consumption Issues Paper - January 2012 Flooding, Drought & Water Consumption Issues Paper - January 2012 Coast & maritime Minerals Waste Green infrastructure Future evidence base requirements relating to the National Planning Policy Framework will be addressed as details emerge. This series of papers is closely linked to the topics of the Sustainability Appraisal (SA) scoping report. The SA scoping report identifies the sustainability objectives, decision making criteria and indicators against which the LDF and other plans in Cornwall should be tested, to examine whether plans are sustainable. The SA scoping report also identifies key messages from national, regional and local plans for the Cornwall Local Development Framework (LDF), a baseline and sustainability issues for each topic. These Core Strategy issue papers largely build on the SA scoping report and start to examine in greater detail the messages from evidence and research, the opportunities and threats and planning issues that need to be considered in the Core Strategy (the SA scoping report can be found at www.cornwall.gov.uk/ldf). 1.3 What is flooding, drought and water consumption? Flooding is a natural process that can happen at any time in a wide variety of locations. Flooding can originate from a number of sources: from rivers or other watercourses, the sea, groundwater, surface water (from rain), from sewers, or from a combination of these sources. Whilst a flood is caused by too much water, drought is marked by too little water. A drought occurs usually when an area experiences a consistent deficiency in rainfall over an extended period of time. Water consumption is the combined use of water resources by householders, service providers and industry, including farming. Whilst all topics are interlinked, this Flooding, Drought and Water Consumption paper has particularly strong links to the papers dealing with Soil, Air & Water Quality, Biodiversity & Geodiversity and Coast & Maritime. 1.4 Flooding, drought and water consumption ‘portrait’ of Cornwall Many of the existing settlements in Cornwall are built beside rivers and coastal areas, some of which will be the focus for growth. Approximately 10,000 properties are at risk of flooding and of these nearly 4,000 residential and 1,500 commercial properties have a significant risk of flooding. Cornwall is characterised by relatively short steep river valleys where floods are often short-lived and intense, caused by relatively short periods of intense rainfall. Cornwall has a long coastline including a number of significant estuaries. Tidal flooding occurs characteristically during high spring tides, combined with low atmospheric pressure, and strong wind that surges seawater into the Cornish estuaries and other low-lying land. Flooding, Drought & Water Consumption Issues Paper - January 2012 3 Flooding, Drought & Water Consumption Issues Paper - January 2012 Areas of medium and high flood risk in Cornwall are identified on the map below (respectively Flood Zones 2 and 3). 4 Flooding, Drought & Water Consumption Issues Paper - January 2012 Flooding, Drought & Water Consumption Issues Paper - January 2012 Critical Drainage Areas have been identified by the Environment Agency in areas where surface water drainage issues are critical and where surface water run-off rates should be restricted to reduce flood risk. The Critical Drainage Areas in Cornwall are identified on the Cornwall Council website at the following location: http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/Default.aspx?page=23707 Overall Cornwall has a relatively high annual rainfall, but has experienced periods of drought, for instance during the summers of 1976, 1984, 1989 and 1995. Water consumption in Cornwall fluctuates significantly, concurring with the fluctuating visitor numbers to the County. Especially in summer, when the total population of the county can double, water consumption is at peak levels. Where this has coincided with a drought, water supplies have been stressed and, as a result, hosepipe bans have been imposed. Water supply is managed by the regulated water utility company South West Water. 1.5 What is the role of the Core Strategy? The Core Strategy can provide planning policies that help deliver enhancement and protect environmental standards for the benefit of local communities. In developing these policies, the Core Strategy needs to take into account all other relevant plans, strategies, policies and programmes as well as involve key stakeholders and the community. In the context of flooding, drought and water consumption: • A key requirement of the Core Strategy is that it should be based on an understanding and appreciation of the risk of flooding across the local area. Such information can then inform the location of development. • If a significant amount of development is to be located on the edge of existing settlements the Core Strategy can provide a strategic approach to managing surface water runoff and require that surface water runoff is taken into account in the location of development. • The Core Strategy can explore how best to minimise water consumption and maximise the water recycling associated with new development. 1.6 Relevant policy context When preparing the Core Strategy, the Council does not start with a blank sheet of paper. There is a whole series of planning policies at national and regional level which have to be followed and the Core Strategy needs to be prepared within the framework set by national and European legislation and national planning guidance. This section focuses on the most relevant published legislation, plans & strategies and draws out their key messages for the Core Strategy. The key directives, acts, plans and strategies identified and used are: International / European Surface Water Abstraction Directive (75/440/EEC) Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) The Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) Flooding, Drought & Water Consumption Issues Paper - January 2012 5 Flooding, Drought & Water Consumption Issues Paper - January 2012 The Groundwater Directive (2006/118/EC) The Floods Directive (2007/60/EC) National PPS25 Development and Flood Risk (DCLG, 2010) Consultation paper on a new Planning Policy Statement: Planning for a Natural and Healthy Environment (DCLG, 2010) PPG 20 Coastal Planning (DoE, 1992) Making space for water – Developing a new Government Strategy for flood and coastal erosion management in England. Consultation document (DEFRA 2004) The Pitt Review, and associated reports (DEFRA 2008). Future Water - The Government's Water Strategy for England (DEFRA 2008) Towards a New National Flood Emergency Framework (DEFRA pending). Water for life and livelihoods – A framework for river basin planning in England and Wales (Environment Agency 2006) Code for Sustainable Homes/BREEAM The Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations (1994), implement the EU Habitats directive. The Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) (England and Wales) Regulations (2003) The Water Act (2003) The Flood Risk Regulations (2009) Flood and Water Management Act (2010) Regional South West Regional Flood Risk Appraisal (SWRDA, 2007) South West