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Anti-flood Bill aims to correct planning mistakes
THE QUEEN'S SPEECH
WATER REGULATION
ECO-drainage devices to soak up rainfall would have to be considered for new developments under measures to avoid a repeat of the devastating floods of 2007.
Long-awaited legislation to set out who is responsible for managing flood risk will require developers to consider installing measures to avoid sewers being overloaded during periods of heavy rainfall.
Green roofs, rainwater harvesting and permeable paving are among the sustainable drainage systems which would be demanded from new developments after tens of thousands of people saw their homes and businesses across Yorkshire flooded when drains were unable to cope with the torrents of surface water running into them two years ago.
Vast new developments with little green space and the paving over of gardens as towns and cities have grown has left little opportunity for water to soak away, so the Government wants to ensure planning mistakes are not repeated.
Environment Secretary Hilary Benn, MP for Leeds Central, said: "We know that in future climate change will bring more extreme weather including heavier rain. Sir Michael Pitt's report recommended important changes – the Flood and Water Management Bill will implement the most important of these to provide better management of flood risk, clarify responsibilities, protect water supplies, and safeguard community groups from unaffordable rises in water bills."
The Government has been criticised for not having introduced legislation sooner after the Pitt review into the floods made a raft of recommendations to try to prevent a repeat.
The Flood and Water Management Bill outlined in the Queen's Speech would give local authorities legal responsibility for dealing with surface water flooding after concern it was unclear who should take charge. The Environment Agency will have overall responsibility for dealing with flooding. Residents will be given a say about flood risk management in their area, and new regulation will protect communities near reservoirs. Cracking in the walls of Ulley reservoir, near Rotherham, in 2007 led to fears it might burst prompting the evacuation of 700 residents and the closure of the M1.
Officials at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs insist they have already been implementing some of Pitt's recommendations and have increased spending on flood defences but critics have been outspoken about the pace of change.
Yorkshire Water said the Bill was a "positive step" towards preventing a repeat of the flooding.
Under the legislation, water companies will also be given new powers to control non-essential use of water during droughts, and the Bill contains measures to protect church and community groups from steep rises in water bills.
Shadow Floods Minister Anne McIntosh, MP for Vale of York welcomed the Bill but added: "I want see greater emphasis on the importance of individual resilience and responsibility in the Bill. People need to realise the risk their homes may be in and what the potential for that risk could mean."
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Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -2 C to 0 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South
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Cloudy
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