Homes nonetheless being in-built flood threat areas regardless of devastation attributable to storms
Houses are nonetheless being in-built areas of excessive flood threat with out measures in place to cease them being submerged, it has been warned.
Over half of native planning authorities revealed that they had hardly ever or by no means inspected new housing developments to test their compliance with Environment Agency recommendation, the bulk blaming an absence of sources.
The Public Accounts Committee, which highlighted the figures in a report, mentioned it was “unforgivable to permit the building of houses in the floodplain without effective mitigation measures”. It comes after greater than 1,800 properties had been hit by flooding earlier this month attributable to Storm Henk.
The Committee additionally warned that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has no method of measuring its personal progress on flood resilience as a result of it nonetheless lacks any clear targets – regardless of having dedicated to introducing a nationwide set of indicators by spring 2022. Overall, Environment Agency forecasts point out that a minimum of 40% fewer properties than deliberate may have flood protections in place by 2027 and current defences for some 203,000 properties have been allowed to deteriorate.
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, Deputy Chair of the Committee, mentioned: “This inquiry has uncovered the alarming truth that in a number of ways, the approach to keeping our citizens safe in this area is contradictory and self-defeating, not least in the continuing development of new housing in areas of high flood risk without appropriate mitigations.
“The variety of properties susceptible to flooding from deteriorating defences eclipsing these benefiting from new ones is one other living proof. This is emblematic each of the Government’s failure to strike the best stability between upkeep and development, and of not contemplating the online variety of properties in danger.”
Liberal Democrat housing spokeswoman Helen Morgan said flood protection plans had been “shamefully uncared for” by the government, with ordinary people’s homes and businesses “turned the wrong way up in consequence”. “Enough is sufficient. The Conservatives should get a grip and provides communities like mine the assist they deserve,” she added.
Earlier this month Labour chief Keir Starmer blasted the Government’s response to flooding as not “adequate” and reiterated his pledge to set up a Flood Resilience Taskforce that would ensure preventative measures were in place before every winter flooding season.
