On 24 March 2015, the Government laid a statutory instrument making the Lead Local Flood Authority a statutory consultee by adding the consultation requirement to Schedule 4 of the Development Management Procedure Order. This change came into effect on 15 April 2015.
The changes have strengthened existing planning policy to ensure that sustainable drainage systems will be provided in new major developments, where appropriate. The planning practice guidance has been updated to reflect these changes and non-statutory technical standards for the design, maintenance and operation of sustainable drainage systems have been published on-line. Major development is defined by:
1. Residential Development: 10 dwellings or more or residential development with a site area of 0.5 hectares or more where the number of dwellings is not yet known.
2. Non Residential Development: Provision of a building or buildings where the total floor space to be created is 1000 square metres or more or where the floor area is not yet known, a site area of 1 hectare or more.
As a consequence of this the Environment Agency are no longer a statutory consultee for developments over 1 hectare in size. However, they continue to be a consultee for developments in Flood Zones 2 and 3, within 20 metres of a main river and within a designated critical drainage area.
The team at What's the Flood Risk can support your planning applications by providing the flood risk and drainage assessments required to satisfy both the Environment Agency and Lead Local Flood Authority. Get in touch here and we will be pleased to discuss your requirements.
