Planners called to account on flood plain housing developments

by Gill Montia

Story link: Planners called to account on flood plain housing developments

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) is accusing planners of allowing major housing developments to go ahead in areas at risk of flooding.

According to the ABI, in the past year 13 developments have secured planning consent despite the Environment Agency warning of flood risk.

Justin Jacobs, the ABI’s assistant director of property says: “Insurers want to continue to provide flood cover, but poor planning decisions will lead to more homes becoming unsaleable, uninsurable and uninhabitable.”

The ABI is calling for tougher planning controls. It estimates that around one-third of the Government’s target of three million new homes to be built by 2020, could be built on floodplains.

Mr Jacobs warns: “The Government’s ambitious housing plans are in jeopardy unless we reduce the flood risk. Where a local authority plans to ignore flood risk advice, the Government should step in and review the proposals and be compelled to publish their decision.”

Following last summer’s floods insurers agreed to continue to cover properties in high risk areas in return for increased Government spending on flood defences.

The damage caused was extensive in Yorkshire, Humberside, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire and the cost of repairs estimated at £3 billion.

John Slaughter, director of external affairs at the Homebuilders’ Federation, has defended property developers stating: “It’s not in our interests to build homes that are subject to undue flood risk.”