Making Space for Water
Environment Agency Strategic
Overview:
Inland Flood Risk Management
25 June 2007
Dear Stakeholder
Making Space for Water – Environment Agency Strategic Overview for Inland Flood risk management and evidence-gathering projects
I am writing to seek your views on our approach to the intended Environment Agency Strategic Overview for Inland Flood Risk Management (EASO (Inland)). In doing so I also want to update you on a number of Making Space for Water projects that together will help to inform policy options for this project. We also want to ask for your feedback on the draft Impact Assessment for our Integrated Urban Drainage (IUD) work.
The EASO (Inland) project will build on the responses to the original Making Space for Water (MSW) consultation and draw on the outcomes of other MSW projects in order to develop a strategic overview role for the Environment Agency. It will bring together evidence and outcomes from a number of key projects, including those on Integrated Urban Drainage (IUD), groundwater flooding and proposed extensions to mapping and flood warning.
A summary of the scope of EASO (Inland) is attached at Annex A
, including a project timetable. We propose that the project should include consideration of the strategic role of the EA in relation to other bodies currently involved in inland flood risk management (e.g. water companies, highways authorities, local authorities and internal drainage boards). Depending on the proposals for the EA’s strategic overview role, we will review how this fits with the present role and structure of regional flood defence committees.
This letter includes the first stage of the IUD Impact Assessment on which your comments are welcome (Annex B) and a summary of other directly relevant MSW projects (Annex C). In addition, the outcome of the EA Strategic Overview for Sea Flooding and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (EASO (Coast) was announced on 22nd June and a copy of the press release is attached at Annex D.
In writing to you now we would particularly value your thoughts on:
- what that strategic role for the EA might be; and
- the present institutional arrangements for inland flood risk management and whether these create constraints on, or opportunities for, change.
These initial opinions will help to inform our thinking in taking forward the EASO (Inland) project and there will be a full consultation on the proposals later on.
I am now seeking your views on the questions raised within these documents. In order to keep on track with the timescales for these projects, I should be grateful if you would provide any comments by Friday 10 August. Please send your response on the attached form (Annex E
) to floodstrategy@defra.gsi.gov.uk
Yours sincerely
Matthew Hampshire
Flood Management Division
Page last modified: 27 June 2007
Page
published: 27 June 2007