Issue - meetings

[Report of the Director for Environment and Neighbourhoods. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Sustainability.]

To adopt the Haringey's Local Flood Risk Management Strategy.

The Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Sustainability introduced this report which explained the need for a Local Flood Risk Management Strategy (LFRMS) for Haringey as well as to agree the LFRMS. The report recommended agreeing and adopting the LFRMS for Haringey.

The Cabinet Member noted that the Council had a duty to produce a LFRMS and that parts of the borough were on flood planes and prone to flooding. It was therefore important to assess flood risks and prepare for these as best the Council was able to.

In response to questions from Councillors Barnes and Cllr das Neves, the following information was noted:

• Officers noted that the strategy set high level aspirations which stated the Council would maintain its assets. Businesses pouring fat down drains was not specifically covered in the report as that would be highways enforcement action.
• Regarding the local levy, Officers confirmed that this was funding that all members of the Thames regional flood authority contributed to. This helped create developments that would prevent flooding. Haringey contributed £100,000 to the project, as did other partners.
• As part of the LFRMS, Officers confirmed a design guide had been developed which required certain requirements being met by any potential developments. There was an officer who worked within the drainage team who provided comments on whether planning applications met the drainage requirements set by the Council. Large planning applications had their own environment impact assessments carried out, which included the potential for flooding.
• Regarding community engagement, a key part of the LFRMS was about how it could be communicated with the community. Officers had been looking at ways to engage with the community so that they were aware of what to do in flooding events, this included working with schools.
• Regarding the number of responses to the consultation, Officers confirmed this was 15, which was in line with responses to other local authorities.

RESOLVED

1.    To approve the adoption of the Haringey LFRMS for the Borough; and

2.    To authorise officers to publicise the report on the Council’s website and to notify all groups having a particular interest in it.

Reasons for decision

To comply with the Council’s legal duties set out by Central Government in the FWMA. It is also a statutory requirement that this document be published to help engage residents and other stakeholders in flood risk issues.

Alternative options considered

Cabinet could decide not to adopt the LFRMS for Haringey and not to make it available on the Haringey’s website. In this case Haringey would not be meeting the statutory requirements of the FWMA, and non-compliance would have to be reported to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). DEFRA are considering financial penalties for non-compliance, including reducing eligibility for flood grants. It is therefore, not considered necessary to consider other options.