Policy information sourced from St Albans District Local Plan
84 Flooding and River Catchment Management
The Council will consult with the National Rivers Authority on all matters likely to affect the water environment in order to reduce the risk of flooding and to ensure proper management of the river catchment. The following principles will apply:
- in areas liable to flood, development or the intensification of existing development, will not normally be permitted. Appropriate flood protection will generally be required where the redevelopment of existing developed areas is permitted in areas at risk from flooding;
- where appropriate, a condition will be attached to planning permissions to ensure that strips are provided alongside ‘main river’ (1) watercourses and kept free of development in order to allow access for dredging and discretionary maintenance;
- all works in, under, over and adjacent to watercourses shall be appropriately designed and implemented and alternatives to culverting should be explored where possible;
- proposals shall not increase flood risk in areas downstream due to additional surface water runoff. If development is permitted, it must include appropriate surface water runoff control measures.
Footnote
(1) ‘Main river’ refers to those rivers which have been designated by the Minister as such. They are the more important watercourses and are shown on the statutory ‘Main River’ Maps which accompany the Land Drainage Act 1976.
For more information please see the Local Plan