It is interesting to note that of all the flood plains flooded across England at the moment, a number of them have planning permissions on them for building new houses.
Isn't it time for a moratorium on ending all building on flood plains ?
One problem is defining what a flood plain actually is at any given spot.
Another is 'precedent creep'. If a development application infringes a declared floodplain slightly developers threaten to appeal if they can find a precedent for a similar marginal infringement. If the development is then agreed, it becomes a precedent for a future threatened appeal and so it goes on.
After the 1947 floods there was a ban on building on the floodplain defined by that event. Precedent creep has seen hundreds of thousands of properties spread onto that floodplain.
It is interesting to note that of all the flood plains flooded across England at the moment, a number of them have planning permissions on them for building new houses.
2 comments:
One problem is defining what a flood plain actually is at any given spot.
Another is 'precedent creep'. If a development application infringes a declared floodplain slightly developers threaten to appeal if they can find a precedent for a similar marginal infringement. If the development is then agreed, it becomes a precedent for a future threatened appeal and so it goes on.
After the 1947 floods there was a ban on building on the floodplain defined by that event. Precedent creep has seen hundreds of thousands of properties spread onto that floodplain.
But then house prices will rise even more due to an even greater shortage of new housing.
Rather we should relax planning laws far more and allow building in far more areas. Flood plains will then be less attractive due to the risks.
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