[PaulB]

There's just been an item on the news about a town[1] that is likely to be flooded for the 4th time in 8 years over the weekend.

Who (if anybody) is responsible for providing flood defences?

[1] Hebden Bridge [2]


[2] Where?

[PaulB]

Hmmm.... it looks to be complicated with different people and organisations responsible for different bits. That's probably why things don't happen fast

https://nationalfloodforum.org.uk/about ... -for-what/

[Jim Jones]

I know the area well. Last Saturday we were walking along the canal path. Blue skies, spring- like feel in the air. 24 hours later it was devastated, but the storm was forecast a week prior..

It’s multi factorial.
Changes to land use means moorland and woodland drains quickly. Some new building on the flood plain, (but most of the flooded property is Victorian or older).

Delays to flood management work means its completion date of August 2019 was missed, and a large section of temporary wall gave way. Who is responsible for the delay?

More rain instead of snow. We’ve had a few hours of settled mush this winter at 1000ft agl. Why?

Lack of adaptation. My grandson‘s nursery was flooded. Closed for one day, open as usual next day as had been tanked, impervious floors, high level power outlets and soft furnishing moved upstairs. A local furniture showroom was rebuilt after the last flood, with the ground floor now a car park. Opened Tuesday morning. Why isn’t everyone like that?.

[eltonioni]

Environment Agency ultimately but as mentioned it's complicated locally so there are a few good initiatives for raising money for works via (for example) increased business rates in affected areas. There's lot of talk from the anti-shooting crowd about moor land use but I'm wholly unconvinced that grouse shooting upland water retention are incompatible or that it doesn't happen anyway. There's quite a bit of sphagnum moss replenishment happening these days and that stuff on top of peat holds massive amounts of water. Rewilding moors by planting bazillions of trees is a silly idea.

While ever insurance is on a reinstatement basis property owners won't adapt since there's no incentive and worse, no money for it after the disaster does happen.

Jim, we're at 1000' AGL too and we've only had three days of snow this winter. Google photos keeps reminding me that 5 years ago this week we had 10" of the stuff.

[Spooky]

A friend lives in Bewdley and she tells me that they’re on flood alert again. A pity they don’t maintain the rivers, but I guess it costs money whereas excuses and blame cost nothing.

[Jim Jones]

AIUI river maintenance often means simply moving the water along more swiftly so it becomes someone else’s problem downstream. Meanders, water meadows and small lakes may be awkward to farm and build on, but it’s nature we’re fighting .

[Rob L]

There's just been an item on the news about a town[1] that is likely to be flooded for the 4th time in 8 years over the weekend.

Who (if anybody) is responsible for providing flood defences?

As far as I'm concerned, the property owner.

Don't buy a property on:
a) A flood plain
b) A volcano
c) An eroding coastline
d) An Australian high-risk burn area
e) A California high-risk burn area
f) Tornado Alley
g) etc
h) etc

unless you expect to receive property damage. Just make sure you are adequately insured and have an escape route.

[Sooty25]

It's okay saying "don't buy in a ....."

But we've seen notable changes to weather causing some of these issues in relatively short period of time, certainly within some home ownership cycles.

[JonathanB]

I drove past a sign yesterday to a new housing development called “Water Meadow Place” ...the clue is in the name I thought!

[Mike Tango]

It would be a serious undertaking to defend against this...

[Sooty25]

looks like they completely forgot east anglia! unless they think we are beyond help!

[Paul_Sengupta]

No flooding in East Anglia. It's just going to be below sea level.

It's all a bit of a mess here in South Wales. I'm sure you'll see pictures in the news, so I won't post links here.

[Joe Dell]

There's lot of talk from the anti-shooting crowd about moor land use but I'm wholly unconvinced that grouse shooting upland water retention are incompatible or that it doesn't happen anyway. There's quite a bit of sphagnum moss replenishment happening these days and that stuff on top of peat holds massive amounts of water.

As a shooter myself, and a witness to the run-off increase and flooding as a result of decades of selfish exploitation of the local 'grouse' moors.

[eltonioni]

That's not the same as them being incompatible activities though. There will be good and bad estates but we can aspire to an environmental policy that encourages and rewards good / best practice in land management. These discussions are far too anti or pro something or other and either side too often seems to have the actual land management as a secondary consideration to their primary goals for or agin' hunting.

[Sooty25]

If bad land management directly causes increased run-off, doesn't that shift some of the liability to the land owner?