northlincs.gov.uk

MINUTES

PRESENT: – Councillor Wardle in the chair.

Councillors Long (vice-chairman), Bunyan, Collinson, Eckhardt, England, Grant, Kirk, Phillips, Rowson and Whiteley.

The committee met at Pittwood House, Scunthorpe.

856 DECLARATIONS OF PERSONAL AND PERSONAL AND PREJUDICIAL PERSONAL INTERESTS – There were no declarations of personal interest.

857 (44) STRATEGIC FLOOD RISK ASSESSMENT FOR NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE AND NORTH EAST LINCOLNSHIRE – The Head of Planning and Regeneration submitted a report seeking approval of the publication of the Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA) for North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire (a joint document) for development control purposes to help guide future development in flood risk areas in North Lincolnshire.

The introduction of Government Planning Policy Guidance Note 25 (PPG25) Development and Flood Risk (2001) had placed a responsibility on local planning authorities to make objective judgements about flooding when drawing up land allocations for Development Plans and making decisions on planning applications for development. PPG25 explained that these judgements should be made using a risk-based approach by adopting the sequential test as set out in PPG25. Some initial flood risk studies had been carried out for the Humber Estuary Shoreline Management Plan (HESMP), which was developing a long-term strategy for managing the flood defences around the Humber Estuary.

In view of this, North East Lincolnshire Council (NELC) had invited RYE Consultancy to carry out a Strategic Flood Risk Assessment on their behalf. Following later discussions with North Lincolnshire Council and Yorkshire Forward (Yorkshire and Humber Regional Development Agency) it had been agreed that the work should be extended to cover both local authority areas and that Yorkshire Forward would financially support the study. This allowed the whole of North Lincolnshire to be assessed for flood risk, including the regionally significant strategic employment site at the South Humber Bank Industrial site (which spanned both authority areas). Work had progressed on the SFRA since November 2002 in close liaison with North East Lincolnshire Council, the Environment Agency (Anglian and Midland Region) and Yorkshire Forward.

All the mapping detail had been created based on national flood modelling information from the Environment Agency’s latest methodologies – these had continually changed throughout the making of the SFRA and as a consequence the study had had to be continually updated throughout its process. The Environment Agency’s national mapping of the flood zones were based on relatively course data that gave a good general picture of the flood zones across the UK but the detail was not always consistent with local experience. The SFRA built on this national flood risk data to produce a study that was locally significant to both local authority areas. Copies of the SFRA had been sent to members of the committee, were deposited in political group offices and had been made available from the Forward Plans team in Church Square House.

The Head of Service advised that the document needed to be updated and outlined the changes required.

The Head of Planning and Regeneration gave a presentation on behalf of RYE Consultancy and answered members’ questions.

Resolved – (a) That approval be given to the publication of the North Lincolnshire / North East Lincolnshire Council Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA) subject to (i) the replacement of “South Humberside” with “Eastern Coastal Area” throughout the document; (ii) the inclusion of Appendices A and B referred to in the text, and (iii) to minor typological corrections, and to the application of that part of the document that applied to this council area for development control purposes to help guide future development in flood risk areas in North Lincolnshire; (b) that officer training seminar(s) in using the SFRA be arranged; that seminars be held for members of this council and town and parish councillors in North Lincolnshire;(c) that the SFRA be reviewed in one years time so that relevant amendments can be made based on expected new flood modelling data (Lidar) being made available from the Environment Agency and to take account of the expected new Planning Policy Statement on Flooding and Development (PPS25), and (d) that the committee expresses its appreciation to those staff involved in the preparation of the SFRA.