East Suffolk Catchment Flood Management Plan Summary Report December 2009 managing flood risk We are the Environment Agency. It’s our job to look after your environment and make it a better place – for you, and for future generations. Your environment is the air you breathe, the water you drink and the ground you walk on. Working with business, Government and society as a whole, we are making your environment cleaner and healthier. The Environment Agency. Out there, making your environment a better place. Published by: Environment Agency Kingfisher House Goldhay Way, Orton Goldhay Peterborough PE2 5ZR Tel: 08708 506 506 Email: [email protected] www.environment-agency.gov.uk © Environment Agency All rights reserved. This document may be reproduced with prior permission of the Environment Agency. December 2009 Introduction I am pleased to introduce our summary of the East Suffolk Catchment Flood Management Plan (CFMP). This CFMP gives an overview of the flood risk in the East Suffolk catchment and sets out our preferred plan for sustainable flood risk management over the next 50 to 100 years. The East Suffolk CFMP is one of 77 CFMPs for England Tidal flooding can occur within rivers and estuaries. and Wales. Through the CFMPs, we have assessed inland There is a significant risk of tidal flooding in East Suffolk flood risk across all of England and Wales for the first because the coastal land and land around the estuaries is time. The CFMP considers all types of inland flooding, low-lying. Tidal flooding can occur from the River Gipping from rivers, ground water, surface water and tidal in the ports, docklands and some areas of Ipswich. High flooding, but not flooding directly from the sea (coastal tide levels can prevent river flows from draining away and flooding), which is covered by Shoreline Management this is called ‘tide-locking’. This can affect Ipswich (River Plans (SMPs). Our coverage of surface and groundwater Gipping), along the Lothingland Hundred River, Cove Run flooding is however limited due to a lack of available (Wrentham Watercourse) and the River Minsmere. information. Surface water flooding has occurred in the CFMP area, The role of CFMPs is to establish flood risk management for example in Halesworth and Ipswich. Sewer flooding policies which will deliver sustainable flood risk has occurred in parts of Ipswich, Woodbridge and management for the long term. This is essential if we are Melton. We cannot reduce flood risk on our own. We will to make the right investment decisions for the future and therefore work closely with all our partners to improve to help prepare ourselves effectively for the impact of the co-ordination of flood risk activities and agree the climate change. We will use CFMPs to help us target our most effective way to manage flood risk in the future. limited resources where the risks are greatest. We work with many organisations, groups and individuals with an interest in how flood risk is managed This CFMP identifies flood risk management policies to including local authorities, Internal Drainage Boards assist all key decision makers in the catchment. It was (IDBs), water companies, conservation bodies such as produced through a wide consultation and appraisal Natural England and the public. process, however it is only the first step towards an integrated approach to flood risk management. As we This is a summary of the main CFMP document. all work together to achieve our objectives, we must If you would like to see the full document an electronic monitor and listen to each others progress, discuss what version can be obtained by emailing enquiries@ has been achieved and consider where we may need to environment-agency.gov.uk or telephoning 08708 506 review parts of the CFMP. 506. Alternatively, paper copies can be viewed at any of our offices in Anglian Region. There are different sources of flood risk in the catchment. River flooding can result from heavy rainfall or obstructions in the channel. There is a risk of river flooding in Ipswich, Debenham, Great Blakenham and Claydon, Needham Market, Stowmarket, Framlingham Paul Woodcock and Halesworth. Regional Director Anglian Region Environment Agency East Suffolk Catchment Flood Management Plan 1 Contents The purpose of a CFMP in managing flood risk 3 Catchment overview 4 Current and future flood risk 6 Future direction for flood risk management 12 Sub-areas 1 East Anglian Plain 14 2 Gipping Corridor 16 3 Debenham 18 4 Framlingham 20 5 Halesworth 21 6 Suffolk Coast and Heaths 22 7 Ipswich 24 Map of CFMP policies 26 Ipswich Marina 2 Environment Agency East Suffolk Catchment Flood Management Plan The purpose of a CFMP in managing flood risk CFMPs help us to understand the • Internal Drainage Boards (IDBs), CFMPs aim to promote more scale and extent of flooding now water companies and other sustainable approaches to managing and in the future, and set policies utilities to help plan their flood risk. The policies identified in for managing flood risk within the activities in the wider context the CFMP will be delivered through a catchment. CFMPs should be used of the catchment; combination of different approaches. to inform planning and decision Together with our partners, we • transportation planners; making by key stakeholders such as: will implement these approaches • land owners, farmers and through a range of delivery plans, • the Environment Agency, who will land managers that manage projects and actions. use the plan to guide decisions and operate land for on investment in further plans, The relationship between the CFMP, agriculture, conservation projects or actions; delivery plans, strategies, projects and amenity purposes; and actions is shown in Figure 1. • regional planning bodies and • the public and businesses to local authorities who can use the enhance their understanding plan to inform spatial planning of flood risk and how it will activities and emergency be managed. planning; Figure 1 The relationship between CFMPs, delivery plans, projects and actions Policy planning • CFMPs and Shoreline Management Plans. • Action plans define requirement for delivery plans, projects and actions. Policy delivery plans (see note) Projects and actions • Influence spatial planning to reduce risk • Make sure our spending delivers the best and restore floodplains. possible outcomes. • Prepare for and manage floods • Focus on risk based targets, for example (including local Flood Warning plans). numbers of households at risk. • Managing assets. • Water level management plans. • Land management and habitat creation. Note: Some plans may not be led by us – we may • Surface water management plans. identify the need and encourage their development. Environment Agency East Suffolk Catchment Flood Management Plan 3 Catchment overview The East Suffolk CFMP is located in The East Suffolk CFMP area is Marine derived sands and gravels the east of England and covers a mainly rural with over half of the are the common underlying geology total area of 1,595 km2. It includes CFMP area being grade three in the north and east of the CFMP nine main river catchments, of agricultural land. Grades two, three area, whilst chalk dominates which the Gipping, Deben, Alde- and four agricultural land make up in the west. These underlying Ore and Blyth are the largest. It around 90% of the total land area. rocks are mainly overtopped by extends along the east coast of The population of the East Suffolk less permeable glacial till, which England from Felixstowe in the CFMP area is around 630,000. It is reduces the infiltration of rainfall in south to Kessingland in the north. predominantly rural and supports a to the soil. This leads to higher rates Map 1 shows the location and regionally and nationally valuable of rainfall runoff meaning there is extent of the East Suffolk CFMP. agricultural industry. Much of East a greater risk from surface water The downstream boundary of the Suffolk’s urban population lives in flooding in these areas. However East Suffolk CFMP is the Suffolk Ipswich, Stowmarket and Needham flooding from groundwater is a Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) Market. Other large urban areas small component of the source of and the Essex and South Suffolk include Halesworth, Woodbridge, flooding in East Suffolk. SMP. The boundaries are located Felixstowe, Aldeburgh, Debenham Within the East Suffolk CFMP area at the Orwell bridge on the Orwell and Southwold. there are a number of important estuary (Essex and South Suffolk The landscape of the catchment environmental sites, including SMP), Blyford bridge on the Blyth varies. The headwaters of the Special Areas of Conservation estuary (Suffolk SMP), Snape sluice rivers are located on high ground (SACs), Special Protection Areas on the Alde/Ore estuary (Suffolk towards the west of the CFMP area (SPAs), Sites of Special Scientific SMP) and Melton road bridge on around Stowmarket, Debenham, Interest (SSSIs) and Ramsar sites. the Deben estuary (Suffolk SMP). Framlingham and Halesworth. Steep These include the Stour and Orwell The SMPs deal with coastal flooding sections mean that rainwater can Estuaries (Ramsar, SPA), Deben and most of the tidal risk. However, quickly runoff the land. Towards Estuary (Ramsar, SAC, SSSI), Alde the CFMP considers tidal flood risk the east of the CFMP area, east and Ore Estuary (Ramsar, SSSI, SAC, along the River Gipping/Orwell of Ipswich, Saxmundham, Kesale SPA) Benacre to Easton Bavents upstream of the SMP boundary and Carlton, the land gently falls Lagoons (SPA, SAC) and Minsmere (Orwell bridge) to the tidal limit just towards the coast. Here coastal to Walberswick Heaths and Marshes upstream of Handford Road bridge wetlands are common as water (Ramsar, SAC, SPA, SSSI). There are in Ipswich. moves more slowly to the river 70 SSSIs and five National Nature channels. In general most of the Reserves (NNRs) in the CFMP area.