Flood Risk Assessments FAQs

A Flood Risk Assessment is required for any planning application where the site of the proposed development is located within Flood Zones 2 or 3 as defined by the Environment Agency. Such sites are considered to be at risk of flooding and the Environment Agency and local planning authorities have the power to challenge planning applications that have not taken into account all of the flood risks involved.

A Flood Risk Assessment is also mandatory for sites of 1 hectare or greater in Flood Zone 1, and for smaller sites in an area within Flood Zone 1 which has critical drainage problems, as notified to the local planning authority by the Environment Agency. For further information on the relationship between Flood Zones and Flood Risk Assessments, see our news item Flood Zones Explained.

A Flood Risk Assessment should demonstrate how a proposed development will manage flood risk from all possible water sources to the site in question. Changes in flood risk to off-site locations as a consequence of development should also be considered with recommendations provided to avoid increasing such risk.

If you live in England, your site will be located in a Flood Zone as defined by the Environment Agency for planning purposes, but many will be located in Flood Zone 1 with a low probability of flooding. To find out what Flood Zone your site is located in, input your postcode into the Environment Agency Flood Map.

• House builders and developers
• Property professionals such as architects, planning consultants and land agents
• Lawyers and solicitors
• Lenders, banks or mortgage providers
• Businesses
• Private individuals
• Insurance companies

• Validating planning applications
• Meeting planning conditions
• For land and property purchase
• For the sale or divestment of a site
• Due diligence
• Lending, mortgages, pension funds
• Business risk assessment

A FloodSmart report can be delivered in 5-10 working days. Delivery of reports requiring Environment Agency consultation and data (FloodSmart Plus and FloodSmart Pro) is dependent on the Environment Agency response times to supply data, which can take up to 20 working days. Typically your report will be dispatched ten working days from receipt of the EA data. A premium delivery is available if your report is urgent – do get in touch and let us know. Your report will be sent in electronic format as a .pdf file straight to your inbox, with hard copies available at an additional cost.

Local planning authorities are likely to request a Flood Risk Assessment for any site which is situated on the modelled flood plain, and within the vicinity of a fluvial or tidal watercourse. Flood Risk Assessments are also requested in areas of low fluvial or tidal flood risk if a proposed development is over one hectare in size and/or lies within a critical drainage area.

Different levels of flood risk assessment reports are required for different purposes. We’ve therefore developed a range of products which are suited to meet the various needs of our clients. Visit our FloodSmart homepage for more information enquiries@geosmartinfo.co.uk.