Tackling the problem of flood risk

Jul 4 2008 by Iain Laing, The Journal

FOLLOWING last year’s summer floods, 4,700 households are still in temporary accommodation, in caravans or the top floor of their homes.

While efforts to help these people continue and the prospect of further flooding looms with every bizarre and unseasonal shift in the weather, thoughts are already firmly fixed on how we can minimise the damage to future victims. Experts from across our industry have had their say and it appears that the powers that be are listening and preparing to implement change for the good.

The independent review led by Sir Michael Pitt into the floods called for decisive action and the Government has said it will take forward its recommendations.

Many of the homes damaged in the 2007 floods were part of new developments and with the Government increasingly searching for land for development, flood plains are among those areas being considered – with a deal of scepticism.

So, when Sir Michael recommended that the next round of updates to Building Regulations in 2010 include measures to protect new homes in flood-risk areas, it would have been foolhardy to ignore him.

The compulsory flood-resilient measures, including such basics as waterproof plaster, are among 92 recommendations in the report, issued on the same day as the Institution of Civil Engineers’ own summer floods assessment.

The ICE report likewise called for changes to Building Regulations to improve homes’ resilience to flooding, while criticising the Government for inadequate and inconsistent funding.

Some of the leading businesses and organisations took part in the preparation of these reports and their voices should be listened to. It is a real step forward that the Government will take measures to protect those who live in these homes built after 2010, but the reassurance given by these actions needs to reach both home buyers and insurers to have the added bonus of helping our housing market.

Melinda Lutton is a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers water panel