Land at Station Road, Birmingham
We supported the planning application for a new dwelling by preparing a Flood Risk Assessment (FRA) in accordance with NPPF and local policy. While the site is located in Flood Zone 1, it was identified as having high groundwater and artificial source flood risk. Our assessment confirmed that, with recommended mitigation measures in place, the site is at an acceptable level of flood risk. The FRA ensured regulatory compliance and contributed to a successful planning outcome.
We were appointed to prepare a detailed Flood Risk Assessment (FRA) in support of a planning application for a proposed dwelling at Land at Station Road, Nether Whitacre. While the site is located within Flood Zone 1 and is not subject to fluvial or surface water flooding, our analysis identified elevated risk from groundwater and artificial sources due to the local geology and reservoir breach mapping.
The FRA was developed in accordance with the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and included a full assessment of flood risk from all sources. The site is underlain by Sidmouth Mudstone and River Terrace Deposits, with local borehole records confirming the potential for groundwater at shallow depths. Risk from artificial sources was also flagged due to the site's location within a mapped reservoir flood extent.
Our report provided a series of site-specific mitigation and resilience measures, including:
Waterproofing of below-ground structures;
Use of moisture-resistant materials in construction;
Ground profiling to direct overland flow away from building entrances;
Sealing of service entry points and external apertures.
We also outlined safe evacuation protocols, demonstrating dry access routes and suitable refuge points. Emergency service access was verified under high-flood scenarios.
The development was confirmed to pose no increase in flood risk either on-site or elsewhere and remains compliant with local and national policy. Our work enabled the client to submit a robust and defensible planning application, and the FRA was accepted without further comment from the council.