Policy Statement on Flood and Coastal Defence
September 2005
Introduction
Purpose
1.1 This
policy statement has been prepared by Eastleigh Borough Council to
provide a public statement of the Council's approach to flood and
coastal defence in its area.
Background
1.2
The
Department for Environment Flood and Rural Affairs
DEFRA has responsibility for
flood and coastal defence policies in England.
However, delivery is the responsibility of a number of flood and
coastal defence "operating authorities
". In Eastleigh the
operating authorities are Eastleigh Borough Council and the
Environment Agency.
1.3 The
Government is currently developing a new strategy for flood and
coastal erosion risk management in England called The aim
will be to manage risks by employing an integrated portfolio of
approaches which reflect both national and local
priorities
To ensure a more certain delivery of the aim and objectives by
the individual operating authorities the Government has published a
series of High Level Targets (HLTs). The first
target requires each operating authority to publish a policy
statement setting out their plans for delivering the Government's
policy aim and objectives in their area. This
will include their assessment of flooding and coastal erosion risk
in their area, and the plans for reducing or managing that
risk. No additional funding is provided centrally to
assist in meeting targets. The level of achievement will therefore
be tempered depending on budgetary conditions.
1.4
This
policy statement fulfils that requirement. Copies are also
available from the Council's offices
at Leigh Road,
Eastleigh and on the Internet at
EASTLEIGH BOROUGH
COUNCIL.
We are also providing a copy
to:
- the Department for Environment Flood and Rural
Affairs;
- the Office of Deputy Prime Minister and
- the Environment Agency.
How we will deliver the Government's Strategic aim and
objectives
2.1 Eastleigh
Borough Council acknowledges and supports
the Government's aim and objectives for flood and
coastal defence (as set out below). Our policy
and approach will be consistent with them, as follows:
Government's strategic aim:
(Extract from the first Government response to the autumn 2004
Making Space for Water consultation exercise).
The aim will be to manage risks by employing an integrated
portfolio of approaches which reflect both national and local
priorities, so as to:
- reduce the threat to people and their property; and
- deliver the greatest environmental, social and economic
benefit, consistent with the Government's sustainable development
principles.
To deliver that aim the Government is setting in hand a
wide-ranging programme of action and has stated the
following:
A more holistic approach
We will be taking action to ensure adaptability to climate
change becomes an integral part of all flood and coastal erosion
management decisions. We will continue to promote a programme of
research on the impacts of climate change. We will review current
allowances and recommendations for climate change in the light of
the outcome of that research. We will adopt a whole catchment and
whole shoreline approach that is consistent with, and contributes
to the implementation of, the Water Framework Directive. We will
involve stakeholders at all levels of risk management, and we will
achieve a better balance between the three pillars of sustainable
development (economic, social and environmental) in our risk
management activities. So as to facilitate an holistic approach
that is risk-driven, the Government will work towards giving the
Environment Agency an overarching strategic overview across all
flooding and coastal erosion risks.
Better management of risk
In order to ensure that risk information increasingly drives
our activities, we will continue to develop the coverage and
reliability of such information, in particular by including better
data on the consequences of flooding and coastal erosion events. We
will include coastal erosion on our risk maps, and we will also do
scoping work with the aim of including other sources of risk
groundwater, urban drainage and overland flow). We will employ a
range of techniques to take better account of environmental and
social consequences.
We will also take into consideration the social pillar of
sustainable development, extending our risk management tools
byexpanding our flood warning and flood awareness activities;
- encouraging measures to improve resistance and resilience to
flooding, including scoping work on the development and delivery of
a pilot on direct aid to individuals; and
- working to improve the evidence base in the case of coastal
erosion, and to investigate the practical implications of a wider
portfolio of coastal erosion risk management tools. (This is in
response to suggestions made during the consultation on
Making space for water that new tools were needed to
help coastal communities adapt to a changing coastline.)
Land use planning
The Government will ensure an effective and pragmatic approach
is taken in considering the impact of flood risk in the planning
process. We will be consulting on extending the Environment
Agency's statutory consultee role in areas that are at risk of
flooding. We will strongly encourage the inclusion of Flood Risk
Assessments at all levels of the planning process, and we will
include gateway questions in the Standard Planning Application form
to determine whether a Flood Risk Assessment is required. We will
consult on a new Planning Policy Statement (PPS) to replace, and
improve the operational effectiveness of, Planning Policy Guidance
Note (PPG) 25.
Rural Issues
As part of the wider portfolio of responses to flood and
coastal erosion risk, we will promote the environmental pillar of
sustainable development by making greater use of rural land use
solutions such as the creation of wetlands and washlands, and
managed realignment of coasts and rivers. Where land and property
is needed for works associated with managed realignment under a
flood management scheme, the Government will continue to provide
the finance for this. We will also be undertaking priority research
into the role rural land management techniques (such as cultivation
practice and woodland creation) might play in managing flood risk
at catchment level.
Integrated Urban Drainage Management
The Government supports the concept of integrated management
of urban drainage. We will review ongoing best practice and fund
pilot projects so as to test different approaches to integrated
management, and to investigate who is best placed to lead in
specific urban areas. Pilots will look at upstream catchments where
appropriate and may include encouraging rural land management
changes.
Coastal Issues
The Government will develop a more strategic and integrated
approach to managing coastal flooding and erosion risks, while
ensuring democratic input into the decision-making process. We will
carry out a consultation exercise on the decision-making and
delivery roles of local authorities, and on different models for
ensuring democratic input into decision-making. The models will
include possible roles for current coastal groups and their
relationship to existing Regional Flood Defence Committees.
Our assessment of the risk of flooding and coastal
erosion in our area and what we will do to reduce or manage that
risk
Flood and coastal defence responsibilities
3.1 Apart
from certain obligations to protect internationally important
habitats under the EU Habitats Directive, all flood and coastal
defence works are undertaken under permissive
powers. This means that operating authorities,
such as Eastleigh Borough Council, are not obliged to carry out
flood and coastal defence works. It is also important to note that
the Council does not normally accept responsibility for maintenance
of flood defences on private land; this is the responsibility of
the landowner.
3.2 Eastleigh
Borough Council is the relevant operating authority for:
flood defences on ordinary watercourses; andcoast protection
(i.e. measures against coastal erosion) on all tidal frontages in
the authority's area.
3.3 The flood
and coastal defences that are owned or managed by the Council are
detailed in its return for the database which is maintained by the
Environment Agency.
3.4 The
Environment Agency is the relevant operating authority for flood
defences on designated main rivers. Culverts
under roads are generally the responsibility of the relevant
Highways Authority (Hampshire County Council).
Assessment of flood risk
3.5 There are
a considerable number of ordinary watercourses for which Eastleigh
Borough Council is the relevant operating
authority. These have not all been identified.
The Council undertakes works as necessary to mitigate flooding
incidents. Those water courses that are designated as Main River
are the responsibility of the Environment Agency.
3.6
We have agreed with the Environment Agency that within the
Council's area there are approximately 24.5 km of "critical
ordinary watercourses" (i.e. watercourses which are not classified
as "main river" but which the Council has agreed with the
Environment Agency to be critical because they have the potential
to put at risk from flooding large numbers of people and property).
These "critical ordinary watercourses" will
transfer to the Environment Agency on 1st April 2006 but
continue to be maintained by the Council under a two year contract
back arrangement.
3.7
Based on historical flooding information, coupled with the
Environment Agency's indicative flood plain maps, the Council has
carried out an assessment of the risk of flooding from the ordinary
watercourses in our area.
The main areas at risk of flooding are scheduled below:
- Allbrook Hill
- Goodwood Close
The Council is satisfied that there are minimal risks to human
life created by these flood risks from ordinary watercourses, but
emphasises the need for the Environment Agency's flood warnings to
be heeded, where these are provided.
Action to reduce or manage flood risks
3.8
The main
means by which flood risks will be managed is through the
Environment Agency's flood warning dissemination plan of September
2000.
This makes arrangements for
warnings to be provided in coastal and 'main river' areas within
this Council's area, including individual warnings to high risk
properties. The Environment Agency holds
Flood Plain Maps and can advise on areas of risk. Eastleigh
Borough Council has included emergency plans for responding to both
major and minor flooding in its emergency planning procedures and
has arrangements for cascading warnings received from the
Environment Agency to relevant Council services
.
3.9
The Council has a programme in place to inspect the state
of:
- Grills at the entrance/exit of critical culverts through the
winter
- all critical ordinary watercourses and related
culverts.
3.10 Eastleigh Borough Council
will ensure that regular maintenance is carried out on the flood
defences and channels which it owns, or for which it accepts
responsibility, so that they operate at optimum
efficiency. Where the responsibility for
maintenance rests with a landowner, we will aim to secure
co-operation in ensuring appropriate maintenance takes place,
drawing on enforcement powers if necessary. By
following Government guidance in Planning Policy Guidance Note 25
Development and Flood Risk on development in flood risk areas, the
Council, acting as a local planning authority, will ensure that
risks are further minimised.
Assessment of coastal erosion risks
3.12 As identified in the 1998
Shoreline Management Plan, of the 10 km of shoreline in the
Council's area, 5 km is defended against erosion. The remaining
frontage consists of natural cliff and shingle bank.
3.13
The Council has submitted a scheme to protect the cliffs at
Netley to
DEFRA
.
The scheme has not reached the appropriate Priority
Score set by
DEFRA
for funding.
3.14 The
Council is a partner in the South East Strategic
Regional Monitoring Programme for the South-East which is a new
initiative that provides:-
Hydrographic Surveys Topographic
Surveys Low Level Aerial Photography Orthophotos
LIDAR(Light Imaging Detection and Radar) & CASI Collection of
Wave Data Collection of Tide and Water Level Data. This information
will be used to support new Shoreline Management plans and
strategies giving valuable background information for the
assessment of coastal erosion risk Further details are available at
http://www.channelcoast.org/
PARTNERSHIPS AND REVIEW OF THIS POLICY STATEMENT
Watercourses
4.1
Eastleigh Borough Council recognises that some
residents of the Borough may be unaware of their riparian
responsibility with respect to their duties under the land drainage
act. A leaflet has been published outlining the duties of
owners where property is close to common water
courses.
4.2 The
Environment Agency intends to enmain (i.e. make Main River)
Critical Ordinary Water Courses COW's which are water courses that
have the potential to flood property. This process will be
completed by April 2006 it is intended that the council will play
an active Role in supervising the works on behalf of the
Environment Agency in partnership with New Forest District Council
for an initial 2 year contract.
The Coast
4.3 The
council is currently developing a joint Coastal Strategy with
Southampton City Council which will study the
area is bounded by Woodmill on the River Itchen and Bursledon
railway bridge on the River Hamble, comprising several process
units of the Shoreline Management Plan. The need for studies
leading to the development of a coastal strategy has been
identified previously within the Western Solent and Southampton
Water Shoreline Management Plan (Halcrow 1998).
4.4 The
project will comprise of coastal process analysis, environmental
and economic studies leading to the development of a coastal
defence strategy for this management unit. The Strategy structure
will produce recommendations for intervention, if appropriate, over
a 100-year period, for implementation by the appropriate operating
authority. Priority works over the first 5 years will be detailed.
It will prescribe relevant intervention thresholds. It is
anticipated that the Strategy will require updating every 5 years
and will have a significant interactive role with SMP studies and
adjacent Strategy Studies. The Strategy is expected to be in place
in 2006.
4.5 Eastleigh
Borough Council has set out its policy and approach to flood and
coastal defence. It recognises the need to work
in partnership with central Government and other operating
authorities. Our local population also has an important part to
play, in recognising the vital importance of watercourses in
controlling flood risk and the need to avoid blockages, whether by
dumping rubbish or obstructing flows in other
ways. The Council seeks support from members of
the public to let us know of any problems which might increase the
risk of flooding or coastal erosion.
4.6 Eastleigh
Borough Council intends to review this policy statement in three
years' time, when it will be revised and reissued as
necessary. Meanwhile, the Council welcomes any
comments on the approach and policies set out in this
statement.
References
1.
MAKING SPACE FOR WATER DEFRA consultation exercise
2.
3.
High Level Targets for Flood and Coastal Defence Operating
Authorities DEFRA 1April 2005
5.
Western Solent and Southampton Water Shoreline Management
Plan
April1988
6.
PPG 20 Coastal Planning
7
PPG 25 Development and Flood Risk
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