A flood map for planning
The Cynon floodplain seems to be getting wetter. It is not clear why this is happening. It may be due to the closure of collieries that pumped groundwater to keep the pits dry, or it may be due to increased rainfall and runoff arising from climate change. Climate change is likely to lead to more rainfall, especially in winter, and to more severe storms and probably more flooding. Government and Assembly policy is discouraging newly built development on floodplains where there is a risk of flooding or where it may cause flooding elsewhere (Planning Policy Wales, TAN 15 and the EAW ‘Policy and practice for the protection of floodplains’).
Natural Resources Wales recently launched a Flood map for Planning designed to provide better information for planning applications within flood risk areas.
The map aims to give users the most up to date and accurate flood risk information in order to plan the siting of developments effectively.
Mark Pugh, principal advisor for flood risk analysis said:
"Flooding can devastate communities and the impacts of climate change mean that we’re likely to see more extreme weather events in the future. Being aware and keeping informed about flood risk is more important than ever, especially when it comes to building projects.
“Our new map is a big improvement on our old one, using the latest, most up to date data to give a clear assessment of an area’s flood risk so that people and organisations are as informed as possible while planning their projects."
