General advice for minor applications
The LLFA has no statutory responsibility to provide planning consultation responses to Local Planning Authorities for non-major or minor planning applications. However, applicants should be aware that national planning policy continues to apply to minor applications and as such flood risk and drainage remain requirements of this scale of planning application.
On a case-by-case basis the LPAs may request flood risk and drainage assistance from the LLFA for non-major and minor planning applications. Where we feel our assistance could be useful, we will provide non-statutory advice to the LPA to assist their planning decision. The LLFA no longer provides formal recommendations or potential condition wording for non-major or minor planning applications.
Flood Risk
The Environment Agency has produced guidance on when flood risk assessments should be undertaken and what information those assessments should contain.
General guidance on when an assessment is needed, and what it should include is available online at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/flood-risk-assessment-for-planning-applications.
Standing advice for both minor extensions and minor applications is also available online at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/flood-risk-assessment-standing-advice.
The Environment Agency’s advice is focused on flood zone flood risk (main rivers and the sea). We advise applicants to contact their LPA to determine whether there are any local standing advice/ policies relating to other flood risk sources, such as surface water.
Drainage
ESCC understands applicants and the LPAs may require support with regards to determining what sustainable drainage is suitable for small scale development. We have therefore created a free to use online tool which allows applicants to undertaken high-level drainage calculations considering mapped ground conditions. This tool provides users with an estimate on required storage volumes and potentially viable sustainable drainage elements which can be used to create a drainage strategy for a site.
