Print this page

The Changing Face of Flood Plains in the UK - Important for property owners

Written by Posted On Thursday, 07 September 2017 06:24
English Flood Plain English Flood Plain

According to the newly published report ‘Changing Face of Floodplains’,  published on 1 June 2017, nine tenths of England’s floodplains  have changed so much  that they are no longer fit for purpose. Co-author of the report, University of Salford’s George Heritage, explained that intensive agriculture accounts for near two thirds of the loss of functioning floodplains, while other factors such as urbanisation and poor management of said land comes into play. When combined, these factors led to a huge increase in surface runoff water, which can no longer infiltrate naturally sponge-like floodplains.

Recent coverage on the report from BBC Radio 4 noted that some farmers question the feasibility of the report. James Winslade  who describes himself as an “opinionated farmer” explained during the broadcast that farmers in rural Britain can “receive an inch of rain in an hour”, and that in his view farming is not a key factor in the degradation of floodplains. He believes that other influences are primarily behind the loss of flood plains such as extreme weather caused by climate change, and urbanisation.

Companies that offer flood risk assessments like UNDA are getting more and more prevalent as flooding becomes something many areas have to not only think about but expect.

Heritage has emphasised that the report in no way advocates extreme change to British agricultural methods, but suggests “it is possible to work with farmers to introduce features that would allow them to function better” – for instance in restoring hedgerows. The 12 month study concluded that it is near impossible for altered floodplains to ever be restored to their original states. Heritage calculates however that small scale restoration could slow the speed of surface runoff by 10-15%. This could prove vital for those residing downstream in coping with river flooding, and therefore shouldn’t be dismissed. The study of the impact of Storm Desmond in Cumbria, which affected 6,000 homes, cites a study of the River Eden in Cumbria. The river Eden has increased in size over the past century (by 66% over a 125 year period), resulting in floodwater moving downstream more rapidly towards towns and villages.

Co-op Insurance, who’ve funded the study, recently stated that “over 5 million people are at risk of flooding” in the UK currently. James Hillon, Director of Products, explained “our research shows that three fifths (58%) of people affected by floods believe they’re happening more frequently. We’ve seen first-hand the devastating effects that floods can have on peoples’ lives and so we want to take action and try to help to reduce the impact of flooding and support those affected”. In light of this, the business has launched a national community flood-watch toolkit containing three measures that residents in flood risk areas can implement, such as “planting smart”, “encouraging regrowth of trees” and “infiltrating areas where water gathers”.

 

Additional advice in preparing for flooding can be found on the GOV.UK website who, in conjunction with the Environment Agency, suggest precautions be taken in creating a ‘flood plan’, or by using their online flood information service. 

 

Rate this item
(0 votes)
Ade

Latest from Ade

Joomla! Debug Console

Session

Profile Information

Memory Usage

Database Queries