Houses can be built on floodplains despite failing safety test, says high court
Source: The Guardian ·
Decision to allow development of 190 new homes in north Somerset sparks campaign for change in the lawHouses can be built on floodplains even if they fail a crucial safety test, according to a high court judgment that will be of “immense interest” to developers across England and Wales.The ruling clears the way for a highly controversial development of 190 new homes on north Somerset’s…
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Houses can be built on floodplains even if they fail a crucial safety test, according to a high court judgment that will be of “immense interest” to developers across England and Wales. The ruling clears the way for a highly controversial development of 190 new homes on north Somerset’s floodplains, despite the site being in “flood zone 3a”, the highest level of flood risk before land is considered a functional floodplain. Ministers and experts are so disturbed by the decision that it was agreed at a flood resilience conference on Wednesday to campaign for a change in the law that would stop the ruling setting a national precedent. As a result, Tessa Munt, the chair of the flooding and flooded communities all-party parliamentary group (APPG), will now meet Matthew Pennycook, the housing and planning minister, to ask him to change the national planning policy framework (NPPF). “This is a dangerous and nationally significant exploitation of planning loopholes,” Munt said. “Tragically,…