Gildernew and Wilson launch on-line flood map information
Tuesday, 4 November 2008For the first time ever, the public has easy access to flood map information for Northern Ireland.
From today, information on areas that may be at risk of flooding from rivers and the sea is available on the internet via the Rivers Agency website.
The Strategic Flood Map, launched by Agriculture and Rural Development Minister, Michelle Gildernew, MP MLA and Environment Minister, Sammy Wilson, MP MLA, shows areas that could be affected by flooding from rivers or the sea and gives helpful information on the location of Rivers Agency flood defence schemes and measures already in place to reduce risk.
The map, which is the culmination of work undertaken by Rivers Agency in cooperation with the Department of the Environment, complements existing work on flood awareness and flood risk management. It is designed to increase awareness amongst the general public, local authorities, utilities and other organisations of the likelihood of flooding and to encourage them to be better prepared and take appropriate action.
Speaking at the launch event, Minister Gildernew said: “In recent times we have seen the damage which flooding can do and the major disruption and distress that it can cause. Flooding is a natural phenomenon and these experiences highlight the need for better management of flood risk.
“My Department’s recently published policy document 'Living with Rivers and the Sea', sets out a flexible framework for the delivery of flood risk management in the North. The Strategic Flood Map supports this policy.
“The number of properties within river and coastal flood plains is 46,000. However, it is important to note that, by virtue of their elevation within the flood plain or the protection afforded by flood defences, many of these have a low likelihood of flooding.
“The Strategic Flood Map does not alter the level of risk in an area but is an essential first step in enabling us to better plan and manage existing risk and support the implementation of the EU Floods Directive. Using the information available and by working together, Rivers Agency and other responsible bodies can help reduce the impact of flooding on people, property and the natural environment.
“People living or working in areas at flood risk can also take action to protect themselves. I hope they will arm themselves with the right information and take necessary precautions now and in the future.”
Environment Minister Sammy Wilson said: “The flood map will be a useful tool for planners who have to make key decisions on new building projects.”
The minister said: "A key objective of my department is to manage the provision of new development necessary to maintain the social and economic well being of Northern Ireland. In delivering that objective we need to take account of a broad range of issues including the potential for flooding.
"Historically, many cities and towns in Northern Ireland have been built on flood plains and we have got to take account of that as we move forward in planning for the future.
“I would also stress that the planning system cannot in itself prevent the flooding of properties. An inter-agency approach involving Rivers Agency, Northern Ireland Water, Roads Service, Local Councils and others as well as my own department is necessary in such situations. The planning system does however have a key role in ensuring that the development decisions we make today and in the future do not increase flood risk.
"That is why my department introduced PPS15 Planning & Flood Risk in 2006 which provides a set of land use planning policies to deal with the potential for flood risk where new development is proposed. The primary aim of PPS15 is to minimise the risk of flooding to people, property and the environment and the flood map will give us a state of the art source of strategic information on flood risk that will help us make the informed planning decisions necessary to do this and sustain and enhance the social, economic and environmental well-being of Northern Ireland.
“My department consults Rivers Agency when a development plan is being prepared to ensure that such plans do not bring forward sites or zone land that may be susceptible to flooding, unless there are exceptional circumstances or it is considered appropriate to put mitigation measures in place.
"It is important to stress that, in terms of land use planning, the Strategic Flood Map identifies areas where my department will ensure the risk of flooding is fully considered as part of the planning process.
“The purpose of the map is to show those places where there is a 1 in 100 chance of river flooding or a 1 in 200 chance of coastal flooding in any given year, but people should also bear in mind that the prospect of all the properties in such areas flooding at the one time is extremely remote.
“I note that the flood map draws on historical flood events, but also incorporates predictive information which by its very nature is not sufficiently accurate to indicate the risk to individual properties or specific locations.
“That is why, where new development proposals are submitted it will be essential that developers provide proper and robust flood risk assessments and where appropriate identify necessary mitigation measures to be put in place.
This will of course require consultation with the Rivers Agency who provide expert advice to my Planning Officials."
The Strategic Flood Map can be accessed via the Rivers Agency website www.riversagencyni.gov.uk. For those who do not have access to the internet, information packs can be obtained by contacting Rivers Agency on 0845 3044 505 who can also supply maps of particular areas on request.
Notes to Editors
1. Rivers Agency, an Executive Agency within the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development developed the Strategic Flood Map in cooperation with Department of the Environment .
2. The main purpose of the multi-layered Strategic Flood Map for Northern Ireland is to highlight areas throughout Northern Ireland that may be at risk of flooding from rivers and the sea. As new information is available the map will be reviewed and updated.
3. Visitors to the Rivers Agency web site can enter the name of a town or postcode, and a colour coded map appears. The map contains four distinct map layers:
· The Historical flood map layer depicts the outlines of known areas that have been inundated by flood water from rivers and the sea in the past.
· The Present Day flood map layer provides an illustration of the predictive river and coastal flood plains under current climate conditions.
· The Climate Change flood map layer provides an illustration of the predictive river and coastal flood plains under projected future climate conditions.
· The Flood Defence map layer identifies the location of flood defences (such as embankments and walls) and shows the areas which benefit from these defences.
4. The map will be reviewed and updated as and when new information becomes available. While the map provides a general overview of the areas at risk of flooding it is not intended to provide a definitive assessment of flood risk to individual properties or specific point locations and does not replace the need for detailed investigations at a local level. The information provided is for personal use and is not available for commercial use.
5. The maps will support government Departments and Agencies involved in planning and water management and in particular the maps will facilitate and support planning Policy PPS 15 which adopts a precautionary approach to the development and use of land by seeking to avoid inappropriate development in flood risk areas.
6. The publication of the map does not alter the level of risk in an area. By making this information freely available, businesses and the general public can be better prepared, by taking appropriate steps to reduce the impact of flooding.
7. DARD’s policy document ‘Living with Rivers and the Sea’ is available on the Rivers Agency website.
8. All media enquiries to DARD Press Office, tel: 028 9052 4619. Out of office hours please contact the Duty Press Officer via pager number 076 9971 5440 and your call will be returned.
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