11,000 new-build homes could be at high risk of flooding
- Plans cover seven counties including Calderdale, Herefordshire and Shropshire
- Buyers of at-risk homes not eligible for cover with Government’s flood insurance
- Government defines high risk areas as having one per cent chance of flooding
More than 11,000 homes are planned on land at the highest risk of flooding in the regions worst hit by recent storms.
Planning documents for seven English counties reveal plans for 11,410 homes on land at high risk of flooding.
These include 764 homes in Shropshire, which was devastated by Storm Dennis, and 4,000 in Doncaster where hundreds were flooded in the village of Fishlake last November.
Planning documents for seven English counties reveal plans for 11,410 homes on land at high risk of flooding. These include 764 homes in Shropshire which was devastated by Storm Dennis (pictured)
The analysis by Greenpeace and the Guardian covers Calderdale, Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcester, which were hardest hit by this month’s flooding, where 1,479 new homes are planned for land deemed high risk.
In Doncaster, Sheffield and Lincolnshire, where flooding caused serious damage in November, the figure is 9,931.
The Government defines high risk areas as having a 1 per cent or greater chance of flooding in any year. Homeowners who buy new properties on land at risk of flooding are not eligible for cover under the Government’s Flood Re insurance scheme.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government told the Guardian sufficient measures should be taken for developments in risk areas to ensure homes are ‘safe, resilient and protected from flooding’.
However, Herefordshire councillor John Harrington said local authorities were being forced to approve developments on floodplains to meet Whitehall demands.
Some sites at high risk of flooding in Calderdale, where towns have been hit by three floods in eight years, have been removed from the local plan.
Widespread heavy rain along with snow and sleet will add to the threat of flooding in affected areas today.
Three-day forecast: Widespread heavy rain along with snow and sleet will add to the threat of flooding in affected areas today
Northern England and Scotland could see up to four inches of snow on high ground, forecasters said.
The main danger areas for further flooding are the Pennines, parts of the Midlands and York, while ‘ongoing flooding is probable’ for the River Severn, an Environment Agency spokesman said.
River level records have been broken on the Colne, Ribble, Calder, Aire, Trent, Severn, Wye, Lugg and Derwent.
While the extreme weather should settle over tomorrow and Wednesday – with a notable dip in temperatures – the Met Office said further heavy rain is expected later in the week.