Humber River Basin District Flood Risk Management Plan – 2^nd cycle review

Overview

The current Humber River Basin District Flood Risk Management Plan 2015-2021 (FRMP) was developed in response to the requirements of the EU Floods Directive 2007. All member states are required to develop plans that cover a river basin district area. City of York Council sits within the Humber River Basin District, ultimately all river flow from the River Swale, Ure, Nidd and Ouse which drain through the councils area drain via the Humber to the North Sea.

The existing plan can be found at the following link: Flood risk management plans (FRMPs): 2015 to 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Defra, via the Environment Agency, are currently reviewing and updating the existing plan.

Plan Review

City of York Council helped to develop the original plan in response to specific UK legislation designed to develop the outcomes required, The Flood Risk Regulations 2009. All Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFA) were required to develop a Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment (PFRA) to help develop the plans.

In tandem to this all LLFA were developing Local Flood Risk Management Strategies in response to the Flood and Water Management Act (2010) which had been developed to deliver the recommendations of the Pitt Review that was developed to learn lessons from the 2007 floods. The councils strategy can be accessed via the following link, it has utilised the outcomes of the flood risk management plan, PFRA and a wider assessment of flood risk in York to develop an action plan and asset of policies on how we will manage flood risk in the city: local-flood-risk-management-strategy (york.gov.uk)

We have worked with the local Environment Agency teams to review the measures contained in the existing FRMP and ensured that they are aligned with ongoing work from all partners in the city and the ideals of our existing local strategy and have developed the below proposed measures that will be used in the 2^nd cycled plan review:

· Investigate options for flood risk management schemes on the River Ouse in York

· Investigate options for flood risk management schemes on the River Foss in York

· Investigate options for flood risk management schemes on the River Ouse & Foss Tributaries in York

· Investigate options for Social, Economic and Environmental Benefits as part of flood risk management works in York

· Investigate opportunities to utilise innovation and digital technologies in flood risk management, planning and resilience in York

· Investigate and deliver working with nature initiatives as part of wider flood risk management works in York

· Explore options for managing surface water flood risk through the development of a SUDS strategy/guidance in York

· Continue to work with local communities to increase their understanding, preparedness and ownership of their own flood risk. in York

· Continue investigations/modelling into all sources of flooding working with stakeholder partners in York

· Continue to review and manage maintenance options and programme of works in York

The above information represents only a small description of each of the measures, further information on their development can be provided as required but will be made available through active consultation later in 2021 – see the Next Steps section below.

The majority of the measures are already being delivered in part through ongoing capital schemes in the city, the delivery of City of York Council led Defra national funding programmes such as the Property Flood Resilience Pathfinder and the Innovative Flood and Coastal Resilience Programme or local policy and practices in our planning responses or operational works programmes. However, there will be opportunities to develop more initiatives that will further deliver against these measures.

We will ensure the measures are a core part of our local strategy, see below.

Next Steps

Following final approvals in later in October 2021 the FRMP’s will commence a national public consultation in late 2021.

Although no specific guidance has been issued on the way in which LLFA should incorporate the FRMP measures within their plans it is essential that they form a key aspect of the action plan within local flood risk management strategies. City of York Council will review its strategy to ensure the measures are incorporated, the strategy will also be refreshed in response to the ongoing flood alleviation works in the city, recent flood events, partnership working with NYCC via the innovation programme, flood risk planning updates and other key information.

Steve Wragg

City of York Council Flood Risk Manager