Who is Responsible for Local Flood Risk Management?
Flood Risk Responsibilities - The Community
Members of the community have a key role to play in managing flood risk. Planning authorities are legally bound to involve the community in the consultation process for planning applications and during the preparation of planning documents.
Homeowners can reduce flood risk to their own property by:
- adapting their building, permanently or temporarily, to improve its resistance and resilience to flooding, for example by using waterproof materials in the walls and floors or adding door and window flood barriers
- gaining greater awareness of flood risk by signing up to receive flood warnings
- obtaining adequate insurance where available
The Association of British Insurers estimates that it costs around £2,000-£6,000 to protect a property against shallow and short lived flooding and around £20,000-£40,000 to protect a property against a prolonged flood event. Although the costs seem high, it is likely that any measures taken will pay for themselves after a single flood event, as the cost of flood repairs are generally larger than the outlay for flood protection.
The Flood and Water Management Act aims to ensure that new buildings and any refurbishment to existing buildings in high flood risk areas will be made resilient and resistant to flooding.
The National Flood Forum provides further information about protecting properties using flood resilience and resistance measures on their website. The National Flood Forum is a charitable organisation that provides advice and support to flood victims and to those who are at risk of flooding. It encourages collaboration between organisations that manage flood risk and the communities affected by flooding.
