asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many building applications have been (a) received, and (b) approved for building on flood plains despite opposition from the Environment Agency in each of the past five years. [HL436]
The Environment Agency is best placed to collect statistics on planning applications made and approved against its advice in flood plain areas. Its HLT5* report to the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Department for Food and Rural Affairs, from which the table below is drawn, shows a year-on-year decline in the number of planning applications that are approved against Environment Agency advice.
2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 Number of applications on which the EA was consulted on flood-risk grounds 20,452 22,067 13,937 11,403 10,854 Number of applications on which the EA objected on flood-risk grounds 4,523 5,077 4,634 4,201 4,750 Number of applications approved contrary to EA advice 221 323 248 136 110 * The Environment Agency's High Level Target 5 Development and Flood Risk in England 2006-07 report to CLG and Defra, which covers all planning applications (ie major and minor).
asked Her Majesty's Government:
What assessment they have made of the effect of housing targets on the number of planning applications that have been (a) received, and (b) approved for building on flood plains despite opposition from the Environment Agency in each of the past five years. [HL437]
No such assessment has been made. The Environment Agency has been given a greater role in spatial planning, including commenting on planning applications in flood-risk areas. This has been reinforced by the planning direction issued in January 2007 with respect to major developments, as part of the wider delivery of Planning Policy Statement 25 Development and Flood Risk.