Flooding
Flood risk management
As the Lead Local Flood Authority, we are responsible for managing flood risk from surface water, ground water, and ordinary watercourses and hold regulatory powers in relation to flood risk management. An ordinary watercourse is any watercourse that is not classed as main river by the Environment Agency.
To tackle flood risk in an integrated way across the region, we are a member of the Cheshire Mid-Mersey local authority partnership.
Flood risk management strategy
The Flood Risk Management Strategy (PDF, 5MB) is our statement of intent as to how we will manage flood risk across the borough. The actions detailed in this strategy will ensure that if and when flooding occurs, we are as prepared as we reasonably can be.
The local strategy will help to ensure that we can work together with the Environment Agency, Welsh Water, Dee Valley Water, United Utilities and other partners to help protect homes, businesses and other infrastructure across the borough from flooding, whilst ensuring all other relevant considerations are taken into account.
It will consider how we can help to manage the risk of flooding. It will require cooperation from all public agencies, businesses and households.
Our responsibilities include:
- co-ordinating the management of flood risk across the borough, bringing together all the relevant organisations and individuals
- providing land drainage consent for any work that may affect the flow of ordinary watercourses
- consulting on surface water drainage proposals for planning applications
- recording and investigating any significant flooding
- maintaining a flood risk asset register
We also work alongside organisations and individuals responsible for managing flood risk from other sources across the borough, including:
- the Environment Agency – responsible for main rivers, reservoirs, estuaries and the sea
- United Utilities and Welsh Water – responsible for sewerage systems
- the Canal and River Trust
- businesses, landowners and community groups
Planning and development decisions
We have a statutory duty to take account of flood risk during the planning and development process. We do this by considering:
Land drainage consent
Where you need to carry out any works that may affect the flow of an ordinary watercourse you will require land drainage consent from us. An ordinary watercourse is any channel of water that is not classed as main river. This is necessary under The Land Drainage Act 1991 so that we can ensure your planned work will not increase flood risk to the local area.
- when any development is within eight metres of a watercourse
- when working on structures and features on or next to the watercourse
- when working on the watercourse itself
- when there are proposed diversions to the watercourse
- you must get consent for both permanent and temporary work/structures
- where work to create a permanent structure involves temporary work, for example, a water diversion, you'll need a separate consent for the temporary work
- you must apply for consent for each separate piece of work or structure
- land drainage consent is separate from any planning permission you might need
- you might need consent even just for repairs or maintenance work
The fee for land drainage consent is £50 per structure or piece of work. Please ensure that you apply for land drainage consent at least eight weeks before you plan to start the work. We can fine you if you start work before gaining consent.
