Flood risk and development

When developing in areas at risk of flooding, there are a number of factors to consider.

Planning guidance

The council's Adopted Unitary Development Plan has policies which address the tensions between development and flood risk.

This has been supplemented by Flood Risk and Development Planning Guidance.

Flood proofing of new property

In areas at risk, all new development should be designed to withstand the impact of floods and to ensure rapid recovery. This can be achieved through a range of design techniques including:

Ground floor parking
Water resistant materials for floors and walls
Electrical cables sited at a high level
Raising floor levels, as a minimum, above the predicted water level for a once in a 100 year event
Avoiding fitted carpets
Using solid rather than suspended floors
Fitting one way auto-seal valves on toilets

Insurance

The government has negotiated an agreement with the insurance industry that will underwrite full insurance cover for property protected to a 1 in 75 year event and to property that will be protected to a 1 in 75 year event from improvements to flood defences that are to be completed in the five years from the 1 January 2006. A statement from the Association of British Insurers is available to download below.

Second storage basin

The flood alleviation basin at Littleton Road was formally opened at the end of 2005. It provides all properties in the Lower Irwell valley with flood protection against an event that has a probability of happening once every 75 years. The Environment Agency and the council would like to see the flood defences further improved by creating a second flood alleviation basin in the river loop at Castle Irwell.

The council is pressing its case for additional funding to be made available to raise the standards of flood protection, but does recognise that there are towns and cities that are less well protected than Salford and which take priority for limited government funding. Not withstanding this the council will ensure that all new development is designed to withstand flooding to a minimum of a 1 in 100 year event plus an allowance for the effects of climate change.