Our Company History
About Flood Risk Consultation
In the UK, Flood Risk Assessment is a major part of the planning process, under guidelines set out in PPS25 (England), TAN15 (Wales) and SPP7 (Scotland). To meet these guidelines, every developer must undertake site-specific Flood Risk Assessments (FRAs).
Planning applications are normally submitted to and decided by local planning authorities (LPAs). An important part of the planning application process is consideration of flood risk.
Our aim is – making FRA easy without compromising time, cost and quality !!
We are a small Engineering Consultant based in London and Aberdeen. We specifically provide our services for the delivery of quick and efficient Flood Risk Assessment (FRA). Big consultants are generally costly and often take long time to deliver reports. If your requirement is time, cost and efficiency, then we’re here to fulfil your needs !
We have extensive experience in carrying out Flood Risk Assessments complying to PPS25 or TAN15 or SPP7 to accompany planning applications. As a small company, we can boast of:
- Competitive rates
- Customer focused service
- Timely delivery to meet client Objectives
Which developments need a Flood Risk Assessment ?
In England, you must complete a Flood Risk Assessment (FRA) if your proposed development:
- includes building or engineering works in zone 2 or 3 of areas at risk of flooding from rivers or the sea
- includes building or engineering works on land classified by the Environment Agency as having critical drainage problems – more information is available from your LPA .
- changes the use of land or buildings in a place at risk of flooding from rivers or the sea, or with critical drainage problems
- changes the use of land or buildings in a way that increases flood vulnerability of the development where it may be subject to other sources of flooding
- is larger than 1 hectare
These requirements are described more fully in footnote 20 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) .
Why do you need a Flood Risk Assessment ?
You must complete an FRA so that the LPA will know:
- what the flood risks are and how they will change in the future
- whether your project will increase flood risk
- how you intend to manage any flood risk
The LPA will use this information to consider your planning application.
How long does an FRA take ?
FRAs can take several weeks to complete so it’s a good idea to organise them before any detailed design work is carried out.
If your planning application is for a project in an area with a high flood risk, the LPA will consult with the Environment Agency to assess your FRA.
Indicative fees/rates of Flood Risk Assessment ?
Indicative fees/rates to produce a Flood Risk Assessment report are given below. Please note that the precise fee estimate depends upon various factors such as nature and scale of the project, level of assessment required, requirement of hydraulic modelling and other requirements such as drainage. We are happy to talk and discuss these with you to workout a plan within your budget.
As we’re a small establishment, we can assure you that our fees are significantly lower compared to the big consultants. The fee may vary depending on the location, size and complexity of the development, the following gives an idea on what fees you will need to be prepared for:
- General assessment of flood risks for the developments in low flood risk zones: £250-£750
- Detailed assessment of flood risks (such as application of flood models): from £750 -£2,500
Please note that these indicative figures do not include any costs required for field survey ( property/development or nearby water bodies such as river/drainage channels). We are happy to discuss whether field survey would be required or not. In many cases we may be able to undertake the FRA without field survey data as flood level information may also be available
from the Environment Agency/SEPA or Local Authorities. If we are required to get information from EA/SEPA, there might be a cost for these data.
Info Required
Information we need to prepare a fee quote
- Site address/postcode and following items if available
- A location plan showing site clearly marked
- Copies of Environment Agency, LPA correspondences
- Architect's drawings if available
- Planning application reference number if the application is already submitted
- Any other documents/reports you might think useful.