White Sands attenuation pond (see an enlargement).
Flood Risk Assessment
Client Focussed
gta specialises in PPS 25 Flood Risk Assessment reports and associated documents like Hydrology Reports and Flood Warning & Evacuation Plans (also known as Flood Response Plans.)
We have an outstanding track record: over the past year we have written and issued over 145 Flood Risk Assessment (FRA) reports with a success rate of over 95%.
We have been successful in gaining approval for difficult sites even if they lie within river or coastal flood-prone areas. We have also advised on buildings’ placement and levels – in order to maximise our Clients’ chances of success, both with the Environment Agency (EA)/Local Planning Authorities and the long term health and safety of sites’ occupants.
Our Clients’ sites have been many and varied: dwellings, commercial, retail, educational, public assembly and worship, industrial and agricultural. We have helped our Clients gain planning permission for new builds, extensions, changes of use and divisions (e.g. a dwelling unit into 2 or more flats.)
Knowledge of Legal Policy
‘Planning Policy Statement 25, Development and Flood Risk’, is the national legal policy document that governs flood risk: all developers must comply with it if they intend to gain planning approval for their development.
gta has extensive knowledge of this document and its requirements: we have prepared hundreds of Flood Risk Assessment reports in the 7 years since there has been such a requirement by the EA and Local Planning Authorities.
The introduction of PPS 25 has now included a requirement for a Flood Risk Assessment to accompany the planning application for any site over 1 hectare, even if the site is not within a recognised flood plain. The Flood Risk Assessment is required to ensure that a surface water drainage strategy shall work on the application site.
Decades of Drainage Design
Due to our extensive experience of drainage design we are well aware of the Environment Agency’s requirements: we also work up all design drawings and calculations in-house. We have developed close relationships with planning liaison officers and Flood risk Engineers in many of the EA’s offices.
We incorporate SUDS in our drainage strategies wherever possible, as required by the EA and PPS 25.
gta has also successfully conducted ‘River and Stream modelling’ to calculate accurate flood levels to critical storm return periods such as a ‘1 in 100 years’ probability.
We have a successful track record in preparing ‘Flood Plain Volume Compensation’ exercises. In certain conditions it is necessary to replace ‘lost’ floodplain volume (due to raising levels when buildings displace this) by lowering levels on other parts of the site. This process has a strict protocol imposed by the EA, which makes it particularly time consuming.
Our customers find our fees very competitive. FRA fees start from £350 + VAT.
We would be very pleased to provide initial friendly advice about your requirements for a Flood Risk Assessment. Please call us on 01444 871444 or send an enquiry by using the form on the Contact Us page.
What We Offer
- Flood plain compensation schemes
- River modelling
- Sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS)
- Sewer/water course diversions
- Surface water drainage strategy
- Attenuation design to 1 in 100 year + 20% or 30% for climate change using Micro-drainage
- Soakaway design
- FRA’s to comply with CSH Sur 1&2
- Flood response plans