There are a number of pieces of legislation relating to flooding as shown in the table below. The EU Floods Directive 2007 was interpreted into the England and Wales legislation Flood Risk Regulations 2009 (Regulations) and the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 (Act).
| European legislation | Acts of parliament | National Policy | Current flood risk policy |
|---|---|---|---|
| EU Water Framework Directive 2000 | – | The Water Environment Regulations 2017 |
|
| EU Floods Directive 2007 | – | Flood Risk Regulations 2009 | |
| – |
Local planning policy National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy* Local Flood Risk Management Strategies* *Requirement under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans |
||
| – | – | – | Shoreline Management Plans |
| – | Civil Contingencies Act 2004 | – |
Community Level Plans |
The Regulations identify and take action in areas with the most significant flood risks and require the following to be produced:
- A preliminary Flood Risk Assessment Report providing a high level overview of flood risk from local flood risk sources and identifying the Flood Risk Areas (no Flood Risk Areas were identified in Devon County Council’s administrative area)
- Flood hazard maps and flood risk maps for Flood Risk Areas
- Flood risk management plans for Flood Risk Areas
The purpose of the Act is to:
- Introduce the concept of flood risk management and the framework for the delivery of flood and coastal erosion risk management through national and local strategies
- Provide new definitions, for example “flood”, “surface runoff”, “Risk Management Authorities”, Lead Local Flood Authority”
- Establish the roles and responsibilities of the different risk management authorities
You can find out more about the different pieces of legislation on the UK Legislation website or refer to chapter 2 in Devon’s Local Flood Risk Management Strategy.