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Why the Insurance Industry Is Warning Against the NPPF Flood Risk Changes

In early March 2026, as the government’s consultation on its revised National Planning Policy Framework drew to a close, seventeen of the most significant names in UK flood risk signed a single joint letter to ministers. Insurers, mortgage lenders, brokers…
Posted on 8th June, 2026
, in NPPF 
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Are Flood Maps Accurate? Why a Property Can Flood When the Map Says Low Risk (and Vice Versa)

Are flood maps accurate? At the scale they are built for, a region, a catchment, a whole postcode, broadly yes. At the scale that matters when you are buying a house or designing a single building, often not. National flood…
Posted on 17th April, 2026
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How to Do a Flood Risk Assessment for Planning

A flood risk assessment (FRA) is a technical report that identifies how a site could flood, now and over the lifetime of a development, and shows a planning authority that the proposal will be safe and will not make flooding…
Posted on 17th March, 2026
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Flood Risk Assessment Cost: What Drives the Price and Why Bespoke Beats Fixed

Ask ten flood risk consultants what a flood risk assessment costs and the honest ones all say the same thing: it depends on the site. Anyone who quotes a firm figure before they have seen yours is guessing. The cost…
Posted on 16th March, 2026
, in Cost 
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Can I Do My Own Flood Risk Assessment for Planning?

If your planning application needs flood risk information, it is fair to ask whether you can do your own flood risk assessment rather than pay a consultant. You can, but only for a genuinely minor, low-risk proposal. What looks like…
Posted on 11th March, 2026
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Why a Conveyancing Flood Report Won’t Pass Planning (And What Will)

Posted on 10th March, 2026
, in NPPF 
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Flood Risk at Britain’s Landmarks: What Six Famous Sites Reveal

Flood risk at the UK’s most famous landmarks is rising, and the pattern it reveals matters far beyond the sites themselves. In its Building Future Communities 2025 report, Aviva uses a handful of Britain’s best-known places — Hampton Court Palace,…
Posted on 4th February, 2026
, in Data 
, in SuDS 
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Flood risk data delay slows planning and housing delivery

Yesterday, on 29th January 2026, updated surface water flood risk data was due to be published for use in development planning. Late in the day, it was confirmed that the release had been delayed, with no revised publication date and…
Posted on 30th January, 2026
, in NPPF 
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December 2025 NPPF Draft | Flood Risk and Sequential Test

On 16th December 2025, the Government published a draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) for consultation. The consultation is open until 10th March 2026 and the draft has no statutory force at this stage. No changes are yet enacted, and…
Posted on 18th December, 2025
, in NPPF 
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Soils, Flooding and Resilience | World Soil Day

World Soil Day, observed each year on 5th December, highlights the critical importance of soils to environmental systems that are often taken for granted. Led by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization through the Global Soil Partnership, it focuses global…
Posted on 5th December, 2025
, in SuDS 
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New Arun Checklists Set Higher Bar for Drainage Design

Arun District Council has published new surface water drainage design guidance and checklists (October 2025) to align with the National Standards for SuDS (June 2025) and CIRIA’s SuDS Manual (C753). The new documents – one for outline applications and another…
Posted on 27th October, 2025
, in SuDS 
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What Is CIWEM? The Chartered Institution Explained

CIWEM is the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management, the UK professional body for people working in water, the environment and sustainability. Formed in 1987 and granted a Royal Charter in 1995, it sets professional standards, awards chartered status…
Posted on 17th October, 2025
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Planning is falling behind flood risk, says Aviva

Aviva’s Building future communities analysis presents a stark assessment of flood risk in England. By the middle of the century, millions more properties could be exposed to flooding, with risk increasingly driven by surface water flooding rather than rivers or…
Posted on 15th October, 2025
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Flood Action Week: How Prepared Are We?

This week marks Flood Action Week – an annual Environment Agency initiative encouraging communities across England to take simple, proactive steps to prepare for flooding. Running from 13–19 October 2025, the campaign highlights how climate change is increasing the frequency…
Posted on 13th October, 2025
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UK Tree Planting Shortfall Weakens Flood Resilience

New statistics confirm the UK is on course to miss critical tree planting targets by 2030. The latest Forestry Statistics 2025: Analysis report warns that, at current rates, the country will fall behind the Committee on Climate Change’s (CCC) trajectory…
Posted on 26th September, 2025
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PPG flood risk: what the September 2025 Sequential Test update changed

The PPG flood risk guidance changed on 17th September 2025, and the four paragraphs it rewrote decide how a Sequential Test gets scoped and evidenced today. The sequential approach now reads across every source of flooding, surface water included. A…
Posted on 22nd September, 2025
, in NPPF 
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TCPA Raises Alarm on the Sequential Test: How Valid Are Their Concerns?

In August 2025 the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) issued a strongly worded briefing note on the sequential test. The paper reflects growing unease that the cornerstone of flood risk planning policy is being eroded through recent appeal decisions.…
Posted on 12th September, 2025
, in NPPF 
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EA Flood Map for Planning: August 2025 Update

On the 27th August 2025, the Environment Agency (EA) will roll out changes to the Flood Map for Planning (FMfP). This update aims to make climate change flood risk data easier to use at the planning stage, while keeping the…
Posted on 15th August, 2025
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Can the Sequential Test Be Reformed to Unlock Homes?

As appeals like Faversham and Yatton make clear, national policy on flood risk is straining under its own weight. The Sequential Test — originally designed to steer vulnerable development away from areas at highest flood risk — is now increasingly…
Posted on 25th July, 2025
, in NPPF 
, in SuDS 
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Ofwat Abolished: What IWC Report Means for Planning

England and Wales’s water sector is at a crossroads. Years of underinvestment, regulatory fragmentation and inconsistent planning alignment have combined to produce a sector-wide confidence crisis — one now spilling directly into the planning system. While water is far from…
Posted on 21st July, 2025
, in IWC 
, in SuDS 
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Faversham Appeal Shifts Flood Risk Sequential Test Best Practice

A recent appeal decision (Ref: APP/V2255/W/24/3350524) has stirred interest across the planning and flood risk sectors. The case concerned an outline application for 250 homes on land at Ham Road, Faversham — partly at risk from tidal and surface water…
Posted on 3rd July, 2025
, in NPPF 
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National Standards for Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS): The 2025 Rules and Where They Stand in 2026

Posted on 20th June, 2025
, in NPPF 
, in SuDS 
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Flood Defence Gets £7.9bn Investment in UK Infrastructure Push

The UK Government has unveiled the largest flood defence investment programme in the nation’s history, committing £7.9 billion over the next decade to better protect homes, businesses and critical infrastructure from rising climate-driven flood risks. This announcement comes amid growing public…
Posted on 19th June, 2025
, in NPPF 
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Defra Unveils Major Overhaul of Flood Funding System

The UK is entering a pivotal phase in its approach to managing flood risk. On 3 June 2025, Minister Emma Hardy launched a major consultation at the Flood & Coast Conference, setting out the government's proposed reforms to the Flood…
Posted on 3rd June, 2025
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Thames Water Crisis: Sewage, Fines and Flood Risks

Thames Water, the UK's largest water utility, is embroiled in a deepening crisis, raising serious concerns about the sustainability of the privatised water industry. The company is battling on multiple fronts — staggering debt, regulatory fines, public outcry, and the…
Posted on 28th May, 2025
, in SuDS 
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Planning with EA Flood Risk Standing Advice

Posted on 23rd May, 2025
, in NPPF 
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What the 2025–30 London Surface Water Strategy Means for Planning

As climate change accelerates and urban environments become denser, cities around the world face mounting challenges in managing water. Nowhere is this truer than in London, where the convergence of ageing infrastructure, rising population pressures, and increasingly erratic weather patterns…
Posted on 22nd May, 2025
, in SuDS 
, in TfL 
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Hosepipe Bans Loom Without Smarter Planning

As southern England inches toward what could become the driest spring in over a century, the warnings from regulators and water companies are unmistakable. Hosepipe bans may not yet be in place, but the message is clear: conserve water now,…
Posted on 19th May, 2025
, in SuDS 
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