Property Development: Floods
(asked on 28th February 2020) - View Source
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of planning outcomes for new housing developments were in accordance with Environment Agency flood risk advice, by region, in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by
Rebecca Pow
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
As a statutory consultee in development planning, the Environment Agency (EA) advises local planning authorities and developers on how to enable climate resilient development and identify opportunities to protect and enhance the environment.
The EA provides advice on all development proposals in areas that are at (i) medium or high risk of flooding from rivers or the sea (other than minor development) (ii) within 20 metres of a Main River, (iii) within an area with critical drainage problems (other than minor development).
The EA does not make the final decision on local planning approvals and local planning authorities are responsible and accountable for approving proposals for new development in their local areas. In the majority of cases the EA’s flood risk advice is taken on board by local planning authorities.
Environment Agency performance influencing planning applications that included new homes where decisions were decided in line with our advice 2011/12-2018/19 split by Environment Agency operational hub. | |||||||||
Year | 11-Dec | Dec-13 | 13/14 | 14/15 | 15/16 | 16/17 | 17/18 | 18/19 | Grand Total |
North – new homes with recorded planning decisions | 3195 | 10539 | 13276 | 12610 | 8035 | 7934 | 6166 | 4161 | 65916 |
North - Number of new homes involved with over-ruled / partially over-ruled decisions | 0 | 649 | 112 | 597 | 3 | 152 | 58 | 11 | 1582 |
North - % of new homes determined in line with EA flood risk advice | 100.0% | 93.8% | 99.2% | 95.3% | 100.0% | 98.1% | 99.1% | 99.7% | 97.6% |
South East - new homes with recorded planning decisions | 14912 | 35251 | 18237 | 26961 | 21498 | 13872 | 10924 | 10812 | 152467 |
South East - Number of new homes involved with over-ruled / partially over-ruled decisions | 11 | 353 | 1072 | 639 | 26 | 220 | 42 | 89 | 2452 |
South East - % of new homes determined in line with EA flood risk advice | 99.9% | 99.0% | 94.1% | 97.6% | 99.9% | 98.4% | 99.6% | 99.2% | 98.4% |
West and Central - new homes with recorded planning decisions | 28360 | 20194 | 27105 | 37364 | 36599 | 20289 | 17598 | 8051 | 195560 |
West and Central - Number of new homes involved with over-ruled and partially over-ruled decisions | 113 | 449 | 120 | 102 | 154 | 65 | 58 | 29 | 1090 |
West and Central - % of new homes determined in line with EA flood risk advice | 99.6% | 97.8% | 99.6% | 99.7% | 99.6% | 99.7% | 99.7% | 99.6% | 99.4% |
Environment Agency national performance influencing planning applications that included new homes where decisions were decided in line with our advice 2011/12-2018/19 | |||||||||
Year | 11-Dec | Dec-13 | 13/14 | 14/15 | 15/16 | 16/17 | 17/18 | 18/19 | Grand Total |
Total new homes with recorded planning decisions | 46467 | 65984 | 58618 | 76935 | 66132 | 42095 | 34688 | 23024 | 413943 |
Total new homes involved with over-ruled / partially over-ruled decisions | 124 | 1451 | 1304 | 1338 | 183 | 437 | 158 | 129 | 5124 |
Average % of new homes determined in line with EA flood risk advice | 99.7% | 97.8% | 97.8% | 98.3% | 99.7% | 99.0% | 99.5% | 99.4% | 98.8% |