Property Development: Floods
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of (a) new and (b) affordable homes were built in areas at risk from flooding in each of the last three years. [302828]
Mr. Ian Austin: The, estimated number and percentage of all new dwellings built in areas of high flood risk in England in the last three years is given in the following table.
| Estimated dwellings built in areas of high flood risk | Percentage of all new dwellings built in areas of high flood risk | |
| 2006 | 14,500 | 9 |
| 2007 | 15,700 | 9 |
| 2008 | 12,800 | 9 |
Information on the number and proportion of affordable homes built in areas of high flood risk could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The Environment Agency has statutory responsibility for flood risk management and flood defence in England. It has an important advisory role in all stages of the plan-making process, being a statutory consultee on the preparation of regional spatial strategies and local development plans. Local planning authorities are required to consult the Agency on all applications for planning permission (except for minor development) in areas with a medium or high probability of flooding, or in areas notified as having critical drainage problems (collectively known as "flood risk areas"), and for development on land exceeding one hectare outside flood risk areas.
The Agency also provides advice on the preparation of flood risk assessments at the regional, district/local and development site levels. The Environment Agency can ask for any planning application to which it objects to be called in for decision by the Secretary of State. In addition, the (planning) Consultation Direction requires that planning applications for major developments (e.g., of 10 or more homes, or 1,000 square metres of new floorspace) in flood risk areas where there is an outstanding Environment Agency objection on flood risk grounds, must be referred to the Secretary of State for consideration of whether they should be called in.