08:00 - 01 April 2008
The academic who led a widely-praised independent review
into last summer's floods in Hull has put his weight behind the Mail's Never
Again action plan.
Professor Tom Coulthard took time off from his job at the University of Hull
to chair the Independent Review Body (IRB) commissioned by Hull City Council
in the aftermath of last June's events.
Today, he gave his backing to a number of measures in our 10-point action
plan, emphasising the need for Yorkshire Water to upgrade its operations in
the city.
He said: "It is welcome that Yorkshire Water has committed
to spend £16m on Hull's pumping and drainage facilities. This is a
significant investment and the IRB welcomes it.
"However, it is important we know what Hull's present drainage capacity is
and to determine what it should be.
"This is one of the most important and constructive findings from the recent
Ofwat report into Hull's floods. Ofwat indicates that for cities like Hull,
where there are no natural drainage systems, a one-in-30-year level of
protection is not sufficient.
"However, the report fails to state what level of protection is appropriate
and I think this is the most important decision to be made in the future.
Prof Coulthard said a joint approach by Yorkshire Water, Hull City Council,
East Riding Council, the Environment Agency and, if necessary, the IRB, was
needed to determine the appropriate level for Hull.
"Once that happens, the existing drainage system can be upgraded if
necessary and other possible measures, such as introducing storage areas or
reopening drains, could be considered.
"This would allow for the development of an integrated drainage system
rather than the fragmented one we have now.
"I think this is a positive process and one whose cost should not be borne
by a single agency. This is an issue for the people of Hull and all the
agencies responsible for it.
"Before we significantly modify the system, we need to know to what standard
it should be designed. The Ofwat report offers no guidance as to what level
of protection should be afforded, except that it should be higher."
Prof Coulthard also welcomed our call for a jointly-funded hydrological
survey of the region.
He said: "To determine what level of protection is appropriate for Hull, we
need to fully understand the hydrologically unusual system of land drains
that criss-cross the region and have an impact on flooding.
"Similarly, we need to know how ground-water saturation, tidal flows,
climate change and sea-level rise may impact on flooding in the future.
"These are all areas that need to be researched in order to understand and
then design a future drainage system."
Prof Coulthard supported our call for improved planning policies and praised
recent work carried out by the city council.
He said: "The council already has a detailed and highly innovative strategy
for planning consent in flood-risk areas.
"Hull is zoned in areas according to relative flood risk and planning
decisions are made according to that process.
"The zoning takes into account detailed models of the impacts of fluvial,
tidal and - importantly - pluvial flooding."
On gully cleaning, he said both councils should do more to make the service
available in ten-foots and on other privately-owned land, while he described
our demand for clear emergency planning advice and information as
"sensible".
Prof Coulthard also backed the idea of a new national weather warning system
capable of alerting communities to heavy rainfall and possible flooding.
"This is an important issue and I think last summer's floods should be a
national wake-up call to this.
"Whether it is supervised by the Met Office or the Environment Agency, it is
important such a system is introduced."
On insurance, Prof Coulthard said the effects of the floods had created a
confusing picture in Hull.
He said: "Because there are so many companies they all have a different
response.
"It's a shame they cannot decide together how to deal with Hull, because
this would simplify the situation greatly.
"Personally, I have had my premium rise by £200 despite not being flooded
and I found it very hard indeed to get alternative quotes."