London Borough of Croydon

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The Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA) process is a journey involving spatial planning decision makers, followed by continued involvement by development control colleagues. The SFRA provides information on flood risk, which enhances what is already currently available, but critically it raises and informs a crucial debate that involves all those engaged in the development process. Croydon has undertaken a joint SFRA with the boroughs of Wandsworth, Merton and Sutton. It was carried out in accordance with Planning Policy Statement 25: Development and Flood Risk (PPS25) and identifies constraints which will assist in the formulation of planning policies and aid in identifying the development potential of proposed sites and assessing future development proposals.

All four boroughs are currently preparing their Local Development Frameworks (LDFs) and require a SFRA to inform policies and realistic approaches to managing the risk of flooding to be taken forward into the respective boroughs' LDFs. The SFRA will enable each borough to apply a sequential test and, where necessary, provide a sufficient level of information to justify development of sites through satisfaction of the exception test.

The principal objectives for the SFRA are to:

  • provide an assessment of the impact of all potential sources of flooding in accordance with PPS25, including an assessment of any future impacts associated with climate change and sea level rise
  • enable planning policies to be identified to minimise and manage flood risks for the whole of each borough
  • provide the information needed to apply the sequential test for identification of land suitable for development in line with the principles of PPS25
  • provide baseline data to inform the sustainability appraisal of Development Plan Documents (DPDs) with regard to catchment-wide flooding issues that affect the study area
  • allow each borough to assess the flood risk for specific development proposal sites, thereby setting out the requirements for site specific Flood Risk Assessments (FRAs)
  • enable each borough to use the SFRA as a basis for decision-making at the planning application stage
  • provide, where necessary, technical assessments and assistance to the authorities to demonstrate that developments located in flood risk areas are appropriate and in line with the requirements of the exception test.

Contact Details

Contact name
David Carlisle
Email
david.carlisle@croydon.gov.uk

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