HC Deb 13 November 2000 vol 356 cc477-8W
Mr. Pickles

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what advice he gives to local authorities on the desirability of building new houses on flood plains. [138058]

Ms Beverley Hughes

In addition to the general guidance at present in Circular 30/92, which is to be updated in PPG25, guidance on housing is given in PPG3 "Housing", published in March 2000. This requires local authorities to assess the suitability of land for housing against a range of physical and environmental constraints, including flood risk, and the fact that such risks may increase as a result of climate change.

Mr. Pickles

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what guidance he gives to local authorities considering a planning application to build on flood plains. [138057]

Ms Beverley Hughes

Guidance is at present given in DOE Circular 30/92, "Development and Flood Risk". This requires local planning authorities to take flood risk considerations into account in determining planning applications. They should also take into account the results of surveys of flood defence issues prepared by the Environment Agency under section 105 of the Water Resources Act 1991, and the views of the Environment Agency on individual applications. This guidance is currently being revised and strengthened in Planning Policy Guidance Note 25. A consultation draft was published in April 2000 and the final text is expected to be published in December.

Mr. Cousins

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will place in the Library a map showing the flood plain of the Ouseburn/Jesmond Dene, Newcastle upon Tyne, and the location and date of(a) flooding of property and (b) storm sewer overflows in the last 10 years. [138022]

Ms Beverley Hughes

Indicative flood plain maps prepared by the Environment Agency were distributed to all local authorities in 1999. These are currently being revised and the Agency intend to place them on their website in December in a form that will enable searches by postcode. While the Environment Agency could supply the current flood plain map, my hon. Friend may wish to await publication of the revised maps in December.

My Department does not hold records of flooding of property and storm sewer overflows. Operational flood matters are for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Environment Agency and other drainage authorities. I would expect the information to be available from one or more of the local authorities, the Environment Agency and the sewerage undertaker for the area.