Title: Fax Letter & Memo Wizard
Author: jmoeran
Company: CIS Environment Agency

Cherwell District Council
Development & Property Services
Bodicote House White Post Road
Bodicote
Banbury
OX15 4AA

Our ref:	WA/2014/119225/01-L01
Your ref:	14/01833/REM

Date:		23 December 2014

Dear Mr Banks-Hughes,

RESERVED MATTERS TO 05/01337/OUT - DETAILS OF THE PROPOSED COMMUNITY PARK ADJACENT TO BANKSIDE, INCLUDING PLAY, RECREATION, EDUCATION AND BIODIVERSITY FEATURES, A FOOTPATH AND CYCLE NETWORK AND OTHER PUBLIC AMENITIES.   
LAND NORTH EAST OF OXFORD ROAD WEST OF OXFORD CANAL AND EAST OF BANKSIDE BANBURY         

Thank you for consulting us on this matter. We received the letter on 14 November 2014 and we are now in a position to respond.

Environment Agency position

In the absence of a detailed site specific flood risk assessment (FRA), we object to this application and recommend refusal of planning permission until a satisfactory FRA has been submitted.
 
Reason

This parcel is part of the wider site at Bankside. This site has the potential to increase surface water flood risk within the wider area as it will lead to an increase in the amount of impermeable area on site, consequently surface water runoff rates and volumes will increase.

A detailed site specific FRA which follows the principles of the site wide drainage strategy agreed at Outline is vital to ensure that there is no increase in surface water flood risk arising from this parcel of development.

Overcoming our objection

For the other reserved matters applications as part of this development, surface water flood risk has been considered and a management strategy has been put forward. This is not the case for this reserved matters application. 

The site plan drawings reference: “5205/CP-ASP 2.1 rev A, 5205/CP-ASP 2.2 rev , 5205/CP-ASP 2.3 rev A, 5205/CP-ASP 2.4 rev A and 5205/CP-ASP 2.5 rev A”- all dated October 2014 include surface water drainage features such as drainage ditches and ponds. This reserved matters application does not include calculations that prove that these features are adequately designed to manage surface water flood risk on site for all events up to the 1 in 100 plus climate change event. 

Therefore we are concerned that this section of the developed will increase surface water flood risk offsite, as the current application does not have any information regarding how surface water flooding will be managed on the site.
 
Overcoming our objection

You can overcome our objection by submitting an FRA which covers the deficiencies highlighted above and demonstrates that the development will not increase risk elsewhere and where possible reduces flood risk overall. If this cannot be achieved we are likely to maintain our objection to the application. Production of an FRA will not in itself result in the removal of an objection. 
Surface water flood risk

The applicant must demonstrate through their surface water strategy that the proposed development will not create an increased risk of flooding from surface water. 
 
Surface water for up to the 1 in 30 year storm event should be safely contained within the proposed drainage network. It is acceptable to partially flood the site in the 1 in 100 year plus suitable allowance for climate change storm event, however this water should be safely contained on site. Where this flooding will be within roads or pathways, the applicants must ensure that safe access and egress is still available.
 
The surface water strategy should show discharge volumes (and rates) from the site will not increase as a result of the proposed development, up to a 1 in 100 year storm with a suitable allowance for climate change; 
 
If it is identified that the volume of runoff will be increased then the difference should be disposed of by way of infiltration or, if this is not feasible because of the soil type, discharged from the site at flow rates below 2 l/s/ha. Where is not feasible, the limiting discharge for the 30- and 100-year return periods will be constrained to the mean annual peak of runoff for the Greenfield site (referred to as QBAR in IoH Report 124).

Yours sincerely,

Mr Jack Moeran
Planning Advisor

Direct dial 01491 828367
Direct e-mail planning-wallingford@environment-agency.gov.uk

cc Taylor Wimpey Oxfordshire

Cont/d..
document1

End

Environment Agency
Red Kite House Howbery Park, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BD.
Customer services line: 03708 506 506
www.gov.uk/environment-agency
End