Flood protection guidelines available
A new guide is now available for residents, business owners, and landlords, offering advice and guidance to protect against flooding. The Householder’s Guide to Flood Protection lays out some steps to help prevent water from damaging your home or business. It also includes helpful advice about what would require planning permission from the council.
Most properties in the borough are at a low or no risk of flooding. But an estimated 20,000 properties are at risk of flash flooding, and it can have a devastating impact when water enters home. Visit the flood risk checker at gov.uk to see if your property is at risk of surface water flooding.
The current predictions are for flash flooding in the capital to become more frequent and extreme due to climate change. The devastating impact of flash flooding has been seen in Spain, and Kensington & Chelsea saw over 500 properties affected in July 2021.
The council has a local flood management strategy to help communities become more resilient against it, and create adaptive places that respond to the impacts of extreme weather. The Houeholders’ Guide to Flood Protection is the latest tool by the council to help build resilience against it.
Some simple and affordable measures can help including flood gates or toilet bungs. Waterbutts can collect surface water to be reused during drier times, while planting and greening is more permeable than hard surfaces such as paving. If you plan to redo a garden or driveway, this is good to keep in mind.
“We are working hard to do what we can to reduce our own environmental impact by making our Council buildings and schools greener, but we must be realistic about climate change,” Cllr Cem Kemahli, lead member for planning and place, said. “The risk of flash flooding around the world is increasing and this guide has been designed to make it easier for people to understand how to protect their own properties and build that resilience across our communities. Some interventions like toilet bungs and flood gates can be very simple and relatively inexpensive, but go a very long way to protecting a home or business in a flood event.”
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