Council launches flood plan consultation

East Riding of Yorkshire Council has launched a consultation on plans for managing flood risk in the area over the coming years.

The 2007 floods were the catalyst for new laws giving councils powers and responsibilities to reduce local flood risk.

Since 2007, the council has built various flood defence schemes and is currently progressing the Willerby and Derringham Flood Alleviation Scheme (WaDFAS), designed to take up to 8,000 properties out of flood risk.

With flood risk from rivers, groundwater and, as we saw in 2013, the sea, the East Riding is an area that is more susceptible to flooding than most.

The Local Flood Risk Management Strategy sets out how the council and other organisations, such as the Environment Agency and Yorkshire Water, should plan to reduce the risk of flooding to local residents and businesses.

As part of these plans, a consultation will be undertaken to allow members of the public to learn more about the proposals.

Councillor Symon Fraser, cabinet portfolio holder for environment, housing and planning, said: “This authority takes the issue of flooding very seriously and continues to take a planned approach to reducing the risk of flooding across the East Riding.

“Managing flood risk is critical for East Riding residents and businesses and we would really welcome people’s views on our proposals to address this problem.”

The consultation is open from Monday 2 March to Friday 10 April. The draft documents and details of how to respond are available to view on the flood pages of the council’s website www.eastriding.gov.uk/flooding

For further information about the consultation, contact the authority’s flood risk strategy team on 01482 391705 or email floods@eastriding.gov.uk