Reviewing the Plan for Solihull’s Future

Reviewing the Plan for Solihull’s Future
Draft Local Plan
development. Sustainable drainage systems assist with the provision of green infrastructure,
supported by the NPPF and the Council’s Green Infrastructure study.
307. Sustainable drainage systems will be required for all major development, defined as 10 or
more dwellings or sites of 0.5 hectares or more for residential development, and 1,000
square metres or 1 hectare and above for non-residential. For other development,
sustainable drainage systems should be used unless it is shown to be inappropriate to do so.
Developers will be expected to design in these requirements at an early stage in the
development of new proposals, and to demonstrate that the proposed solution will
maximise the benefits to the water environment. The Council does not regard underground
storage tanks only as an appropriate sustainable drainage system, and will require at least
one surface feature to be deployed within the drainage system for a development site for
water quality purposes, with more features where runoff may contain higher levels of
pollutants.
308. Control of discharge rates from new and previously developed sites is an important part of
flood risk management, supporting the NPPF by utilising opportunities offered by new
development to reduce the causes and impacts of flooding, and the overall level of risk in
the area and beyond. Ensuring that new developments discharge to greenfield rates reduces
the wider impact, whilst limiting discharge rates associated with previously developed sites
will reduce pressure on existing watercourses and sewer systems.
309. The Environment Agency’s Catchment Flood Management Plans provide an overview of
flood risk across river catchments and recommend ways in which risks now and in the future
can be managed. New development in the Borough will be expected to contribute towards
the policy objectives of the Catchment Flood Management Plans. Most of the Borough lies
within the Mid Staffordshire and Lower Tame policy unit within the Trent Catchment Flood
Management Plan, where the objective is to take action to store water or manage runoff in
locations that provide overall flood risk reduction or environmental benefits locally or
elsewhere in the catchment. The western part of the Borough adjacent to Birmingham, and
the eastern part adjoining Coventry lie in the Birmingham and Black Country, and the
Coventry Cluster policy units in the Severn Catchment Flood Management Plan respectively.
The Catchment Flood Management Plan objective in these areas is to take further action to
reduce flood risk. Reinstatement of the natural floodplain, the de-culverting and
improvement of on-site watercourses also helps contribute towards the objectives of the
Humber River Basin Management Plan and achieving the Water Framework Directive target
of each water body within the Borough achieving good status.
310. The Council is the Lead Local Flood Authority for Solihull and has published a Local Flood
Risk Management Strategy to help reduce flood risk and mitigate the impact of flooding in
the Borough. Developers will be expected to review and pay due regard to the
recommendations included within the Local Flood Risk Strategy produced by the Lead Local
Flood Authority. The Strategy may highlight opportunities to work in partnership with the
Environment Agency and the Lead Local Flood Authority to contribute to the reduction of
flood risk to new development and to third party land.
311. The Level 1 Strategic Flood Risk Assessment for Solihull has identified the main flood risk
areas within the Borough and has been used alongside the Environment Agency’s flood zone
and surface water maps to help guide new land allocations within the plan to areas at low
risk of flooding, via a sequential test.
312. For new developments at risk of flooding, a site specific flood risk assessment must be
undertaken which demonstrates that the development will be safe for its lifetime, in
accordance with the NPPF.
Solihull MBC - 100 - November 2016