Flood Risk Areas
Flood zones have been produced by the Environment Agency (EA) to support the implementation of Government Planning Policy and to prevent inappropriate development in flood risk areas.
The map below shows the extent of the flood risk in the borough.
Flood Zone 3 shows the area that could be affected by flooding, either from rivers or the sea, if there were no flood defences. This area could be flooded:
- from the sea by a flood that has a 0.5% (1 in 200) or greater chance of happening each year
- or from a river by a flood that has a 1% (1 in 100) or greater chance of happening each year.
Flood Zone 2 shows the additional extent of an extreme flood from rivers or the sea. These outlying areas are likely to be affected by a major flood, with up to a 0.1% (1 in 1000) chance of occurring each year.
The two colours on the map show the extent of the natural floodplain if there were no flood defences or certain other manmade structures and channel improvements. Flood defences do not completely remove the chance of flooding, however, and can be overtopped or fail in extreme weather conditions.
The probability or likelihood of flooding is described as the chance that a location will flood in any one year. When the Environment Agency describe the chance of flooding, they give it one of three descriptions or put it into one of three categories:
- Significant: the chance of flooding in any year is greater than 1.3% (1 in 75)
- Moderate: the chance of flooding in any year is 1.3% (1 in 75) or less, but greater than 0.5% (1 in 200)
- Low: the chance of flooding in any year is 0.5% (1 in 200) or less
The lower the percentage then the less chance there is of flooding in any one year; the higher the percentage then the more chance there is of flooding in any one year.
For more information on Flood Risks visit the Environment Agency Flooding pages
Draft Strategic Flood Risk Assessment
The Council in partnership with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, has employed Consultants to undertake a Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA).
The Strategic Flood Risk Assessment refines Environment Agency information on the areas that might flood. It takes account of the risk of flooding from the River Thames, other sources of flooding and climate change. Although the report is currently in draft, it will inform the borough’s policies in the emerging Local Development Framework and will be a consideration in determining the detail required for site specific flood risk assessments. The Strategic Flood Risk Assessment will be finalised after further discussion with the Environment Agency to clarify certain issues.
See the links below for the draft SFRA and the related maps for the borough:
| Related services | For more information on floods please click here |
