Flooding can cause substantial damage to property and threaten human life, as the floods that hit the UK in Summer 2007 showed. Decisions about the location and nature of settlement and land use can have a major impact on the extent of the threat posed by flooding. Whilst flooding is impossible to prevent entirely, planning can play a key role in helping to avoid and reducing the risk from floods. This Practice Guide has been produced to support "Development and Flood Risk - Planning Policy Statement 25" (ISBN 9780117539747, available below) by providing information about positive planning at all levels in order to deliver appropriate sustainable development in the right places, taking full account of flood risk. The key message of this Guide is to avoid inappropriate development and to locate development away from flood risk whenever possible. The Guide is intended to inform regional and local planning authorities and to demonstrate how flood risks can be reduced in order to create a sustainable future. It provides advice and guidance that can be tailored to meet the needs of individual situations. It contains case studies to show how theory can be applied practically.
It is illustrated with graphs, tables, and diagrams to further aid understanding. Please note: this is a March 2010 revised edition of "Development and Flood Risk: Planning Policy Statement 25" (ISBN 9781851129362).