§ Baroness Knight of Collingtreeasked Her Majesty's Government:
What action is being taken to ensure that local authorities take heed of, and act on, professional 122WA warnings of flood dangers before granting planning permission for housing developments. [HL291]
§ The Minister of State, Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (Lord Falconer of Thoroton)The Government have today published a new Planning Policy Guidance Note (PPG) 25Development and flood risk which advises on the consideration that needs to be given to flood dangers when determining planning applications for housing and other developments. It emphasises the lead role of the Environment Agency in providing advice on flood risk.
The Government recognise, however, that there will be occasions when other planning considerations in favour of development proceeding will outweigh objections from the agency on flood risk grounds. In such cases, PPG 25 makes clear that the provision and future maintenance of any flood defences or other mitigation measures required because of the development should be fully funded by the developer.
The Government will monitor closely the impact and effectiveness of PPG 25 through national land use change statistics and the high level targets published by the then Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in 1999. These require the agency to report annually on planning applications on which it has been consulted and whether decisions by local planning authorities or on appeal were in line with or contrary to its advice on flood risk.
In the light of this the Government will consider further whether there is need to introduce a flooding direction under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. This could require local planning authorities to refer to the Secretary of State applications they are minded to permit contrary to advice from the Environment Agency on flood risk.