§ Ms KeebleTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what advice his Department has received from the Environment Agency about the building of homes on flood plains. [40594]
§ Mr. RaynsfordIn 1997, the Environment Agency publishedPolicy and practice for the protection of floodplains. This document set out the flood defence policies of the Environment Agency and explained the reasoning behind them. It aimed to reinforce and complement current Government guidance on flood risk issues contained in Department of the Environment Circular 30/92 (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Circular FD 1/92; Welsh Office Circular 68/92) on Development and flood risk and in Planning Policy Guidance and Regional Planning Guidance.
The Government look to local planning authorities to use their planning powers to guide development away from areas that may be affected by flooding and to restrict development that would itself increase the risk of flooding. Flood defence considerations should always be taken into account in preparing development plans and in determining planning applications. The Environment Agency is a statutory consultee in the preparation of development plans and for certain types of development and should be consulted by local planning authorities on the building of homes in flood plains.