Floods zone fears for 400 homes
MORE than 400 homes in the West Midlands may have built in highrisk flood zones over the last five years.
The figure comes from an analysis of land use and housing supply statistics.
It shows an estimated two per cent of all new houses built in the region between 2013 and 2017 are in Environment Agency ‘Flood Zone 3’ zones.
That means that there is a “high” probability of flooding.
This corresponds to about 460 homes out of a total of 19,288 built over the five years – or one in 42.
The estimate shows Birmingham and Sandwell have the highest proportion of new homes in high-risk flood zones, with 310 in the city and 100 in its Black Country neighbour.
In Dudley and Walsall, only one per cent of homes – an estimated 20 for the former and 30 for the latter – are in Zone 3.
Nationally, an estimated 58,000 homes – 11 per cent of new residential addresses – were built in high-risk areas between 2013 and 2017.
Councils must consult with the Environment Agency before granting planning permission in areas at risk of flooding.
But Groundsure, an organisation which provides intelligence and assessment on land planned for building, says local authorities are “under growing pressure to find sites for housing”.
“The need to build new homes – and build them quickly – is critical,” the group warns. “Flood plain land is some of the cheapest available to developers. In 2011, the coalition government relaxed planning rules. Since then, local planning authorities no longer had to report cases where they ignored EA advice, and it has become easier for them to approve planning applications in high-risk areas.
“Many homes in at risk-areas are being built with the EA’s approval because they are behind existing flood defences which are considered to provide adequate protection from flooding.”