JBA Consulting joined Engineers Ireland and fellow flood professionals during Engineers Week 2014 to reflect on current and future flooding events and to discuss future protection plans.

1. Flood Risk Management Guidelines
A look back 4 years on
Jonathan Cooper
Managing Director JBA Ireland

2. The Documents
Guidelines for Planning Authorities
Technical Appendices

3. What did the guidelines set out to achieve
• Reducing future risk by better
planning
• Managing existing risk through land
use change
• Planning led decisions based on
understanding risk
• Sustainable place making through a
sequential approach to flood risk
New Development
C
O
N
S
E
Q
U
E
N
C
E
Climate Change
RISK
Asset Deterioration
Flood Alleviation Schemes.
PROBABILITY

4. How did the guidelines deliver this?
• Justification Test for Spatial Planning
• Justification Test for Development Management
• 3 levels of Flood Risk Assessment over 3 stages

5. Scales and Stages of Flood Risk Assessments

6. Flood Zones

7. Definition of Flood Zones
Zone
Zone A
High probability of
flooding.
Zone B
Moderate probability
of flooding.
Zone C
Low probability of
flooding.
Description
This zone defines areas with the highest risk of
flooding from rivers (i.e. more than 1% probability
or more than 1 in 100) and the coast (i.e. more
than 0.5% probability or more than 1 in 200).
This zone defines areas with a moderate risk of
flooding from rivers (i.e. 0.1% to 1% probability or
between 1 in 100 and 1 in 1000) and the coast
(i.e. 0.1% to 0.5% probability or between 1 in 200
and 1 in 1000).
This zone defines areas with a low risk of
flooding from rivers and the coast (i.e. less than
0.1% probability or less than 1 in 1000).

8. Classification of vulnerability of development
Vulnerability Class
Land use and types of development include:
Highly vulnerable development
Garda, ambulance and fire stations
(including essential infrastructure) Hospitals and schools;
Dwelling houses, student halls of residence and
hostels.
Less vulnerable development
Buildings used for: retail, leisure, warehousing,
commercial, industrial and non-residential
institutions;
Land and building used for agriculture and
forestry;
Local transport infrastructure.
Water-compatible development
Flood control infrastructure;
Amenity open space, outdoor sports and
recreation and essential facilities such as
changing rooms;
Lifeguard and coastguard stations.

9. Sequential Approach using probability and
consequence

10. Justification Test – How has it been implemented
Strategic Flood Risk Assessments
• SFRAs are the most important step in these guidelines
• Initially there was reticence in local planning depts
• Lack of flood maps/skills
• Kicking the can down the “planning” road
• Cl 5.27 made it clear that SFRA was needed
• Generally quality of SFRAs is approaching best practice examples;
http://www.clonmelbc.ie/media/FINAL%20SFRA.pdf

11. Outcomes from SFRAs
• Improving and providing
flood zone maps
• PFRA outlines not
adequate on their own
• Now dezoning via the JT
has been straightforward
• Nearly full alignment of
flood risk and land use
zoning

12. Where the SFRA can add value
• Improve quality of FRAs locally
• Capacity building
• Setting measurable FRM objectives
• Climate change adaptation
• Scoping out issues with residual risks and how these should be
managed
• More complete review of all flood risk sources

13. Current issues in application of guidelines
• How to fully embed SFRA into Local Plan and show flood zone maps
• Extant permissions and protecting value of land in FZ
• FRAs for infrastructure
• Still engineering a solution
– Flood Zone A can’t become Flood Zone C
– Loss of floodplain must be compensated for
• JT can’t be applied outside of the settlement boundary!!
• All development should have a FRA

14. Overview of the process
• Engineering function in councils overwhelmed by requests to comment
on Planning Applications
• Planners should be able to screen more PAs
• Standard of FRA’s are poor, and not provided with application
• RFIs need to be pragmatic
• Council planners are now confident in saying no
• ABP Inspector generally well versed in Guidelines
• Little work for QC’s?

15. 4 years on – Economic outlook is better, but the
climate is looking more uncertain

16. Regeneration and flood risk
Kings Island

17. Flood risk brings tough choices or compromises for
our communities
Some flooded Limerick homes ‘to be rebuilt on
higher ground’
Ministers visit residents of flood-hit St Mary’s
Park to assess damage

18. Challenges from a buoyant development market
• Guidelines are robust and have helped shaped sustainable
development plans
• Extant permissions and previous value of land
• Developers still trying to engineer our way out
• Building in areas of residual risk
• Capacity in council departments and quality of consultants

19. Considerations for further thought
• Reporting and monitoring of flood risk metrics for new development
• Case study reviews involving ABP
• Further capacity building in local authorities
• Review of Technical Appendices on the foot of issue of CFRAM maps
and national debate over response to the winter storms of 2014
• Extend guidance on SFRAs to integrate climate change adaptation
plans
• Model data usage and management