SWEl have recently prepared a Flood Risk Assessment for an interesting proposed development in Merton (New Maldon).

The development sees the retention of a existing building for conversion under PD rights, and the creation of e neighbouring residential unit.

Below images show various mapping used in the compilation of the report.

Flood Extent Mapping in Merton

Model Nodes used in 2D Models

A Considerate Design improves Planning Success

Flood Risk

corporate.services@environment-agency.gov.uk

this email account will soon be closed, the new email to use to contact us will be

ensenquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk

Despite having used the original address for a number of years I received no notice that it would be changed, and have found out the above via lengthy googling.

Hopefully it will save you the time!

In this day an age, would it not have been possible to email past customers to tell them about the change prior to closing the account?

Flood Risk

Site Investigation – Devon

SWEL have been commissioned to prepare a flood risk assessment for a mixed use development in Bristol.

The scheme comprises of commercial use of the ground floor, with residential use above. This is a favorable situation, as the ground floor use is less vulnerable as define in the planning practice guidance.

This FRA is prepared for the purposes of providing a generalised indication of the potential flood risk to the site, and to identify whether there are any flooding or surface water management issues relating to the development site that may warrant further consideration. 

Bristol is a varied city with regards to flood risk. Some of the hilly areas see very rapid lowering in flood risk moving away from water courses, however area to the west such as Avonmouth experience large areas of low lying ground in Zone 3a which can be problematic from a planning perspective.

There are numerous culvert water courses in Bristol, where rivers has been built over, and now run in tunnels under central areas. 

The flood risk assessment will be prepared on a quick turnaround and supplied to the client in a PDF format.

The use of secondary data will aid in providing this report on a quick turnaround. 

Flood Risk Consultants Bristol

Flood Risk Assessment Hammersmith and Fulham (W6 9HB)

Acting on instruction received from an architect SWEL have prepared a flood risk assessment for a residential conversion. The scheme was well designed, and the site well placed (interms of level) so as to require the minimum of consideration with regards to resilient design.

High quality modelling data was used to provide a design finished floor level, that was at a very low risk of flooding, the report is being assessed at present with Hammersmith and Fulham Borough Council, and based on our track records SWEL are confident that the report will be well received.

Flood Risk Assessment Reports

Flood Risk Assessment Dartmouth 

SWEL were approached by a private land owner in Dartmouth, who had an old garage that they wished to convert to residential use.

A scheme was developed that saw a building designed to be minimally affected in the event of flooding. Ground floor living accommodation was not included in the scheme, instead the living accommodation was included only on the 1st floor.

The 1st floor accommodation was proven to above likely flood depths via the use of detailed flood modelling data, which showed the site to flood to a round depth of 0.6 meters in a very bad flood.

Despite a thorough report concerns were raised over flood safety, the main objections coming from the Environment Agency, and as such they were in a mind to refuse the application.

Despite the flood maps showing a depth of 0.6 meters they do not specify a duration for the flood. However thinking pragmatically this is only likely to last 4 – 6 hours owing to influence of tides, it was this concept put forward by SWEL and presented to district council’s development committee, with a successful out come.

Such was the surprise at the persistent objections from the Environment Agency, that the application had some coverage by the local press.

Flood Risk Assessment Reports

Flood Risk Assessment – Exmouth

If you find out that your site is in Flood Zone 3a this does not mean that you will not be able to build on / develop the site. There will be more paper work, and you may have to wait some time for the Environment agency to decide whether your site is in fact suitable, but in 90% of cases Zone 3a will not pose as an insurmountable barrier.

Such was the case with a site in Exmouth, near Exeter, Devon where an infill building plot, was partially within flood zone 3a. It was quickly established that a variance in ground elevation was the cause of this  incursion, and that likely ground raising associated with the proposed develop would effectively place the proposed dwelling above flood water levels.

Flood Risk

The property had a basement to include living accommodation but not sleeping accommodation. This is an important differentiation.