Strategic Flood Risk Assessment - South Worcestershire ...

1.4 Approach1.4.1 General Assessment of Flood RiskThe NPPF Technical Guidance retains key elements of Planning Policy Statement 25. TheSFRA update adopts the flood risk management hierarchy originally laid out in the PPS25Practice Guide and is summarised in Figure 1-2.Figure 1-2: Flood Risk Management HierarchyBased on flood risk management hierarchy outlines in PPS25 Practice Guide 2This hierarchy underpins the risk based approach and must be the basis for making all decisionsinvolving development and flood risk. When using the hierarchy, account should be taken ofthe nature of the flood risk (the source of the flooding);the spatial distribution of the flood risk (the pathways and areas affected by flooding);climate change impacts, andthe degree of vulnerability of different types of development (the receptors).Proposed site allocations should reflect the application of the Sequential Test using the mapsand guidance in this SFRA. The information in this SFRA should be used as evidence and,where necessary, reference should also be made to relevant evidence in the documentsdescribed in Section 5.2. The Flood Zone maps and flood risk information on other sources offlooding contained in this SFRA should be used, where appropriate, to apply the Sequential Test.In the future, when the SFRA is used, developers must check and use the latest availableinformation.Where other sustainability criteria outweigh flood risk issues, the decision making process shouldbe transparent. Information from this SFRA should be used to justify decisions to allocate land inareas at high risk of flooding. This report contains information on the level of flood hazard at theallocated sites proposed by Malvern Hills and Wychavon District Councils and Worcester CityCouncil within the South Worcestershire area.1.4.2 Technical Assessment of Flood HazardsFlood risk within the South Worcestershire area has been assessed by using generalised anddetailed (where available) model results supplied by the Environment Agency, existingEnvironment Agency Flood Zone mapping, and additional modelling undertaken as part of thisSFRA. In particular:Generalised modelling using Jflow+, supplied by the Environment AgencyDetailed model outlines for the following watercourseso River Severn (Abermule to Worcester). Note: the 1000-year return period (FloodZone 2) extent for the River Severn is a composite of generalised Jflow+modelling and the 150-year outline from the detailed model, as used by the EAin their November 2012 Flood Maps.o River AvonoRiver Teme2 Planning Policy Statement 25: Development and Flood Risk Practice Guide (Department for Communities and LocalGovernment, December 2009)2012s5947 S Worcestershire Level 2 SFRA Update FINAL Report v1.0.doc 8