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What is a consultee in a planning application? Statutory consultees explained

A consultee is a body or person the local planning authority asks for a view on your planning application before it makes a decision. Some are named in law and must be consulted on particular kinds of development. These are…
Posted on 5th August, 2026
, in NPPF 
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Do you need a flood risk assessment for a barn conversion (Class Q)?

Yes — if the barn sits in a flood risk area, a flood risk assessment for a barn conversion is almost always required, even though the work is permitted development. Class Q lets you turn an agricultural building into a…
Posted on 3rd August, 2026
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Shoreline Management Plans Explained: Hold the Line, Managed Realignment and No Active Intervention

England's coast runs to roughly 6,000km, and nearly all of it is covered by a shoreline management plan: the document that decides whether a stretch of shoreline gets defended, left alone, or allowed to move. A shoreline management plan (SMP)…
Posted on 27th July, 2026
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Romsey Flood Alleviation Scheme: How New Defences Are Reducing Flood Risk in 2026

The Romsey flood alleviation scheme has just been strengthened again. In May 2026 the Environment Agency finished raising Stockbridge Road near Timsbury by around 40 centimetres and rebuilt the flood defence at a nearby weed-recovery compound: the latest step in…
Posted on 6th July, 2026
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Planning Application Invalidated? The Flood Risk and Drainage Documents You’re Missing

A planning application invalidated for flood risk or drainage almost always comes down to one thing: a document the local planning authority treats as mandatory is missing from the submission. Most often that is a flood risk assessment (FRA), a…
Posted on 22nd June, 2026
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Why the Somerset Levels flood — and what £50m will (and won’t) fix

The Somerset Levels flood because they are a low-lying former wetland, much of which sits at or below the level of the rivers and tides meant to drain it. In a wet winter, water arrives faster than the catchment can…
Posted on 17th June, 2026
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EA Flood Map for Planning: May 2026 Update — Surface Water Climate Change Data

On 28th May 2026 the Environment Agency added surface water climate change extents and banded depth layers to the Flood Map for Planning. The Check Your Long Term Flood Risk (CYLTFR) surface water data should no longer be used for…
Posted on 28th May, 2026
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The Flood Knowledge Gap Between Communities and Institutions

In 1724, a local historian described one Berkshire village as "a low and watery place" where "water is a dominant theme … with disastrous floods, both within and beyond living memory." More than two centuries later, that village still requires…
Posted on 11th May, 2026
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EA River Modelling Technical Standards (2026): What Flood Risk Assessments Must Demonstrate

Hydraulic modelling sits behind almost every detailed flood risk assessment, and the Environment Agency sets the standard for how those models are built and reviewed. The EA's river modelling technical standards define what a credible model looks like and what…
Posted on 8th May, 2026
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Groundwater, heritage, and the cost of getting flood risk wrong

Flood defences are designed to keep water out. This case shows what happens when they change where the water goes instead. A recent Upper Tribunal decision involving The King’s Lodging in Sandwich has brought an often-overlooked aspect of flood risk…
Posted on 26th March, 2026
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Environment Agency Objection to Your Planning Application (Flood Risk): How to Resolve It

An Environment Agency objection to a planning application on flood risk grounds is unsettling, but it is rarely the end of a scheme. In most cases it means the flood risk evidence in front of the local planning authority is…
Posted on 23rd March, 2026
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What Is Environment Agency Flood Data? Product 4, 5, 6 and 7 Explained

Environment Agency flood data underpins how flood risk is assessed in the English planning system, yet it is one of the most misunderstood parts of the process. Terms like "Product 4" or "Product 6" get passed around in pre-application advice,…
Posted on 20th March, 2026
, in GIS 
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£1.4bn Flood Defence Funding 2026/27 Explained

The UK government has announced £1.4 billion of flood defence funding for 2026 / 27, supporting more than 600 schemes across England, as set out in the official £1.4bn flood investment announcement. The funding is intended to reduce flood risk…
Posted on 18th March, 2026
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Flood Funding Reform 2026: The New FCERM Guidance Explained

Defra has published new guidance governing how flood and coastal erosion schemes in England will be funded and prioritised from 2026 onwards. This is not a minor procedural update. It reshapes how projects are classified, how funding levels are calculated,…
Posted on 3rd March, 2026
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Does the Jubilee River Increase Downstream Flood Risk?

The Jubilee River is an 11.6 kilometre artificial flood relief channel opened in 2002 as part of the Maidenhead, Windsor and Eton Flood Alleviation Scheme on the River Thames. Designed to divert up to around 180 cubic metres of water…
Posted on 12th February, 2026
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River Thames Scheme delays raise questions over flood defence delivery

Recent political intervention and growing local frustration over the River Thames Scheme have brought long-running questions about flood defence delivery sharply back into focus. What began as a technically ambitious response to well-understood flood risk is increasingly becoming a case…
Posted on 9th February, 2026
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How a £12.6m flood scheme is unlocking development in Stoke-on-Trent

The Fowlea Brook Flood Risk Management Scheme in Stoke-on-Trent has been completed by the Environment Agency, delivering a major upgrade to the city’s flood defences. The scheme is intended to reduce flood risk for 333 homes and businesses and represents…
Posted on 6th February, 2026
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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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Storm Chandra flooding hits UK weeks after Storm Goretti

Storm Chandra is causing widespread flooding across the UK and Ireland, marking the second major flooding event of 2026, before the end of January. Flooding and disruption have continued into Wednesday, with impacts persisting across several regions. The storm follows…
Posted on 28th January, 2026
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Why Lincolnshire Is Trialling a New Approach to Flood Warnings

In parts of Lincolnshire, flooding is a familiar experience that does not always come with a warning. Streets flood, gardens fill, groundwater emerges, and yet many locations sit outside the areas where the national warning service is designed to operate.…
Posted on 23rd January, 2026
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Climate Change Allowances for Flood Risk Assessments: A 2026 Guide

Climate change allowances are the figures the Environment Agency expects you to build into a flood risk assessment so that a development stays safe over its whole lifetime, not just on the day it is built. They convert what we…
Posted on 21st January, 2026
, in NPPF 
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Construction Stage Flood Risk and the Lessons from Attleborough

Flood risk is most often scrutinised at the point a planning application is determined. Flood Risk Assessments are prepared, mitigation is proposed, and decisions are taken on the assumption that what has been assessed on paper is what will exist…
Posted on 13th January, 2026
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Below Standard Flood Defences: Protected on Paper, Vulnerable in Practice

Recent inspections have found flood defences below target condition across large parts of England, including places with long and well-documented flood histories. From historic cities to chalk stream catchments, inspection data shows that thousands of flood defence assets are operating…
Posted on 24th December, 2025
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Flooding Across England and Wales Ahead of Christmas 2025

In the weeks leading up to Christmas 2025, large parts of England and Wales experienced prolonged and disruptive flooding. Rather than a single storm-driven incident, the period was marked by repeated rainfall, saturated ground conditions and flooding that often persisted…
Posted on 22nd 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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RNLI Flood Rescue and UK Emergency Response

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is widely recognised for its lifesaving work at sea. Increasingly, however, it also plays an important role in flood rescue across the UK, supporting emergency response during major inland flooding events. As extreme rainfall…
Posted on 20th November, 2025
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Resilience by Repetition: 25 Years on from the 2000 Severn Floods

When the River Severn burst its banks in the autumn of 2000, it wasn’t the first time Shrewsbury, Bewdley or Ironbridge had flooded — but it was the one that changed everything. Streets became rivers, businesses closed overnight, and entire…
Posted on 5th November, 2025
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York and the River Ouse Remember the Floods of 2000

In November 2000, the River Ouse rose higher than living memory. In a matter of hours, the postcard beauty of York’s riverside was replaced by a scene of eerie stillness: pub benches half-submerged, streetlamps reflected in brown floodwater, rescue boats…
Posted on 5th November, 2025
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Runways Underwater: The 2000 Crawley and Gatwick Floods

The final months of 2000 delivered what the Environment Agency later called “the wettest autumn in nearly 300 years”. Successive Atlantic depressions rolled in through October and November, dumping record-breaking rainfall across much of England and Wales. By early November,…
Posted on 4th November, 2025
, in SuDS 
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25 Years On: The Legacy of the Lewes Floods

This year marks 25 years since the historic Lewes floods. In the autumn of 2000, intense and prolonged rainfall overwhelmed the River Ouse, sending torrents of water through the heart of Lewes. Within hours, streets were submerged, homes and businesses…
Posted on 3rd November, 2025
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Loughborough Study Shows Sediment Ponds Aid Flood Control

Recent research from Loughborough University has highlighted how sediment ponds—sometimes called “mini-wetlands” — can help farmers protect their land, improve water quality and strengthen natural flood resilience. While the study focused on agricultural benefits, the implications reach far wider. As…
Posted on 31st October, 2025
, in SuDS 
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Flood Resilience in England: A Wake-Up Call

Flooding in England is no longer a localised hazard — it is a national systems challenge. The House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee’s latest report, Flood Resilience in England (HC 550, October 2025), delivers a blunt assessment: the country remains…
Posted on 29th October, 2025
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Defra and Its Role in England’s Flood Risk Management

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) plays a central role in how flood risk is managed across England. It is responsible for national policy, legislation and funding for flood and coastal erosion risk management (FCERM). Although Defra…
Posted on 16th October, 2025
, in NPPF 
, in SuDS 
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Defra Confirms £10.5bn Flood Defence Funding Overhaul

In April, Defra’s consultation proposing a major overhaul of England’s flood funding system was launched, aiming to simplify access to investment and accelerate protection for communities most at risk. That consultation has now concluded, and the government has confirmed that…
Posted on 14th 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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Floods in a Drought: Why Drought Causes Flooding in the UK

Floods in a drought sound like a contradiction, but the two arrive together more often than people expect. When the ground has been baked hard by weeks of dry weather, it cannot absorb a sudden downpour. The rain runs straight…
Posted on 11th September, 2025
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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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What Is the Flood Forecasting Centre (FCC)?

Flooding remains one of the UK’s most significant natural hazards – and as climate change accelerates, so too does the frequency and intensity of flood events. Against this backdrop, one organisation plays a quietly critical role in helping the country…
Posted on 8th July, 2025
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What Is the Met Office’s Role in Flood Management?

The Met Office is widely recognised for its daily weather forecasts, but its role in flood risk management across the UK is far more extensive, technical, and embedded within national infrastructure. As the UK’s national meteorological service, the Met Office…
Posted on 7th July, 2025
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Riparian Ownership: Your Rights and Responsibilities in the UK

If you own, rent out or are developing land beside a river, stream, brook or ditch, you are almost certainly a riparian owner, and riparian ownership carries legal duties that most landowners never realise they hold until a flood or…
Posted on 6th June, 2025
, in FRAP 
, in IDB 
, in LLFA 
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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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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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Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme (OFAS) Approved

The Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme (OFAS) is a £176 million flood defence project, led by the Environment Agency, that will reduce flood risk to more than 1,600 homes and businesses across Oxford and the surrounding villages. At its heart is…
Posted on 16th May, 2025
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EA Flood Map for Planning: 2025 Update Explained

On 25th March 2025, the Environment Agency (EA) launched a major update to its Flood Map for Planning (FMfP), marking a pivotal shift in how flood risk is represented for the planning system in England. This update integrates findings from…
Posted on 27th March, 2025
, in NPPF 
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Ordinary Watercourse Consent (OWC) Explained

Posted on 28th February, 2025
, in EA 
, in IDB 
, in OWC 
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Septic tank regulations in England: the General Binding Rules in 2026

The septic tank regulations that apply in England are the General Binding Rules — statutory conditions set by the Environment Agency that let a septic tank or small sewage treatment plant discharge legally without an environmental permit, provided it stays…
Posted on 28th February, 2025
, in SuDS 
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Foul, Surface & Combined Sewers: What to Know

When planning a new development, one crucial factor that developers, architects and planners must consider is how wastewater and surface water will be managed. The type of sewer infrastructure present on or near a site can significantly influence the design,…
Posted on 25th February, 2025
, in SuDS 
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Thames Barrier: London’s Flood Defence Against Tidal Surges

The Thames Barrier is the largest movable flood barrier protecting London, holding back the tidal surges that would otherwise push up the estuary and into the heart of the city. It spans 520 metres of the River Thames near Woolwich…
Posted on 14th February, 2025
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Natural Flood Management: EA Research Deep Dive & Analysis

Natural flood management (NFM) does work, but the honest answer is more useful than a simple yes. The Environment Agency's latest evidence shows that measures which slow, store and filter water across a catchment can measurably lower flood peaks, especially…
Posted on 13th February, 2025
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The Pitt Review: impact, legacy and the gaps that remain

The Pitt Review was the independent inquiry, published in 2008, that reshaped how the United Kingdom manages flood risk. Commissioned by the government after the catastrophic summer floods of 2007, and led by Sir Michael Pitt, it made 92 recommendations…
Posted on 3rd January, 2025
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Flood Risk Activity Permits (FRAP): The Complete 2026 Guide

A flood risk activity permit (FRAP) is the environmental permit you need before carrying out work on, under, over or near a main river, a flood defence, a sea defence or a floodplain in England. It is issued by the…
Posted on 6th September, 2024
, in EA 
, in FRAP 
, in NRW 
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Main Rivers and Ordinary Watercourses: A Guide for Planning

Every river, stream, brook and ditch in England and Wales is legally either a main river or an ordinary watercourse, and the difference decides who regulates it, who maintains it, and whose consent you need before you build near it.…
Posted on 5th September, 2024
, in EA 
, in FRAP 
, in NRW 
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What Is a Local Planning Authority (LPA)? A Guide for Developers

A local planning authority (LPA) is the council responsible for deciding planning applications in its area and for shaping how land is used and developed. Almost every development, from a single-storey extension to a housing scheme, passes through an LPA…
Posted on 30th August, 2024
, in NPPF 
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The Environment Agency (EA): Flood Risk and Planning

The Environment Agency is the government's statutory adviser on flood risk in the English planning system. It does not decide planning applications, but where a site carries flood risk its advice usually shapes whether permission is granted, refused, or held…
Posted on 28th August, 2024
, in NPPF 
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What Are Strategic Flood Risk Assessments (SFRAs)?

Strategic Flood Risk Assessments (SFRAs) are a central component of flood risk management in the English planning system. While frequently referenced in the preparation of Local Plans and in the context of site allocation, their strategic role is often underappreciated…
Posted on 23rd August, 2024
, in NPPF 
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Boscastle 2004 Floods: Lessons for a Wetter Climate

On 16 August 2004, a torrent of water tore through the Cornish village of Boscastle. What began as a humid summer afternoon became one of the most dramatic and widely televised flood events in modern British history. Within hours, cars…
Posted on 16th August, 2024
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EA Flood Map Challenge: What You Need to Know

Flood mapping plays a crucial role in the planning process across England. For landowners, developers, and planners, accurate flood zone designations by the Environment Agency (EA) are essential — not just for safe and sustainable development, but also to avoid…
Posted on 3rd June, 2024
, in NPPF 
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Communities Affected by Groundwater Flooding in the UK

Groundwater flooding is not spread evenly across the country. It clusters in particular communities, almost all of them sitting on or just downstream of the Chalk. Parts of Dorset, Hampshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Kent, Wiltshire, Surrey and West Sussex are repeatedly…
Posted on 29th September, 2015
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