Policy information sourced from Enfield’s Edmonton Leeside Area Action Plan

EL8 Managing Flood Risk in Meridian Water

The Council will continue to work in partnership with the Environment Agency, the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, Thames Water and the Canal & River Trust to secure an integrated and sustainable approach to the management of development and flood risk through complementary flood mitigation and water management measures.

All developments must be safe from flooding and must not increase flood risk elsewhere. Development proposals must be supported by a detailed technical assessment of the flood risks and appropriate mitigation measures. All development will require a detailed site specific Flood Risk Assessment (FRA) to be submitted with each individual planning application. Adequate flood risk mitigation must be in place for all development.

The Council will apply the Sequential Test within Meridian Water at Masterplanning stage, in order to direct development to areas of low flood risk. Where this is not possible, development proposals must be shown to meet the provisions of the exception test, as set out by the NPPF. Development proposals should include an assessment of the impact of climate change using appropriate climate change allowances, to ensure that future flood risk is taken into account.

Development proposals must incorporate the principles of Water Sensitive Urban Design. Surface water discharge rates should aim to achieve greenfield runoff rates or such other rates as agreed with the Lead Local Flood Authority throughout the development and proposals should demonstrate application of the SuDS Management Train (The SuDS Manual, CIRIA) prior to discharge of surface water runoff. SuDS features should be connected and integrated with landscape as much as possible and planted to enhance biodiversity.

Development proposals must set out a clear approach to flood risk management and demonstrate a coordinated relationship with surrounding interfaces, including utilities corridors; proposed ground levels and buildings; carriageways, cycleway and footway corridors; landscape features; building drainage; as well as managing health and safety risks.

Any land identified as potential for offsite flood storage should preferably be located close to the proposed development site and preferably lie within the Edmonton Leeside area, so minimising the disruption to local flow patterns and flood mechanisms which could otherwise result due to displacement of water.

Planning obligations will be sought for any development where there is a risk of flooding and flood mitigation infrastructure is required.

This policy should be read in conjunction with Core Strategy policies 28 and 29, DMD policies 59, 60, 61, 62 and 63, and London Plan Policy 5.12.

For more information please see the Edmonton Leeside Area Action Plan