Client: Residential Property Owners in Devon.
Scheme: The construction of a single-storey extension to the ground floor level.

The Challenge: Get planning permission for an extension in a high-risk flood area.

A proposed single-storey extension in Devon required a Flood Risk Assessment (FRA) due to its location in Flood Zone 3, near a tidally influenced river.

The Local Planning Authority expressed concerns about the projected flood risk and needed confirmation that the risk could be managed to grant planning permission.

Our Approach: Review data to suggest flood resilience measures.

Ashfield obtained flood model data from the Environment Agency (EA) to calculate the predicted flood depths at the site.

From review of this data, the site was identified as at risk of flooding in the present day and future scenarios. However, the data provided by the EA was not considered representative of actual on-site conditions.

Therefore, Ashfield had to produce an FRA that would satisfy the Local Planning Authority, accounting for the predicted risk at the site. This was achieved through recommending flood resilience and resistance measures that would minimise the risk of flooding.

Outcome: Full planning permission granted.

Despite the initial challenges posed by the site’s predicted fluvial flood risk, Ashfield developed an FRA demonstrating that the risk could be managed with appropriate mitigation measures.

This included budget-friendly flood resilience and resistance recommendations to manage the risk effectively, such as raising electrics and installing non-return valves.

Thanks to our comprehensive FRA, the client was granted full planning permission.