To consider the draft Local Flood Risk Management Strategy and associated action plan prior to its consideration by Executive.

The Senior Engineer (Flood Risk Management) introduced a report and presentation that set out the responsibility of the Council to develop a Local Flood Risk Management Strategy.  The Committee were advised of the objectives of the strategy, the consultation that had been undertaken to date and the associated action plan.  Cllr Spurr also highlighted the benefit of employing consultants in order to move forward with the development of the Strategy.  Officers were also thanked for their hard work in developing the proposals, which outlined solutions that would help the Council to achieve improved outcomes.

In light of the report and presentation the Committee discussed the following issues in detail:-

·         Whether developers could proceed with a development if sufficient mitigations had not been put in place to address flood risk.  It was conformed that the Council could apply appropriate conditions to development such that the risk of flooding was mitigated and developers could appeal if they felt these were inappropriate.  A SuDS Approval Body (SAB) would be helpful in this regard although it was not envisaged this would be in operation before October 2014.

·         Concerns that the report needed to be more detailed and should reflect the positive nature and technical expertise of the local Internal Drainage Board (IDB) and ensure that information was shared appropriately.  There was also a need to more appropriately define flooding to ensure there was a clear understanding of what actually constituted a flood. In response it was confirmed that close links were maintained with the IDB and Environment Agency and information was shared regularly.

·         The need to refer within the Strategy to statutory controls, such as the exclusion zone around ditches. The Committee were advised that the action plan referred to proposals to introduce byelaws that would provide statutory controls to ensure appropriate and planned maintenance of ditches, potentially throughout the year.

·         Concerns that £60k capital allocation for the Strategy was not sufficient and that no potential funding sources had been identified in the action plan.  In response officers clarified that the £60k was a rolling capital budget that was allocated to schemes as they arose.  Grant funding had also been received from Defra, which had been saved over the previous three years in order to respond to the duties arising from the Flood and Water Management Act.  Defra also provided additional funding and an opportunity for properties to bid for property protection grants (up to £5k).

·         Whether Central Bedfordshire being a low risk flood area was likely to affect the level of funding that could be obtained.  In response officers suggested this shouldn’t be an issue, officers would consider the  hypothetical impact of a major incident in a high risk flood area in Central Bedfordshire to determine the level of funding that was necessary.

·         Concerns that the views of Town and Parish Councils may have changed in light of the recent floods, which would have provided a different consultation responses.  Cllr Spurr invited Town and Parish Council to advise the Council of their views if they had changed following their initial consultation response.

RECOMMENDED to Executive that the Local Flood Risk Management Strategy and associated action plan be approved as the Council’s working strategy to manage local flood risk in Central Bedfordshire