Flood Risk

A flood risk assessment is always required if the proposed development:  

  • Includes building or engineering works in flood zone two or three (areas most at risk of flooding from rivers or sea) 
  • Includes building or engineering works on land classified by the Environment Agency as having critical drainage problems 
  • Changes of use of land or buildings in a site at risk of flooding from rivers or sea 
  • Changes of use of land or buildings in a way that increases vulnerability to flooding where it may be subject to other sources of flooding 
  • Is larger than one hectare 

You can view flood maps on the Environment Agency website:  

You can also view projected flood information through the government website: 

Surface Water Drainage 

To ensure viable and sustainable drainage systems for new development, it is always best to consider possible drainage solutions early in the design process. We recommend that you use the Surface Water Guidance (PDF) produced by Cambridgeshire County Council when completing surface water drainage strategies. There is also a Drainage Pro forma (PDF) which can be submitted as part of your application to show how surface water drainage has been considered. 

Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems 

In recent years, greater emphasis has been placed on the use of SuDS as a method of managing excess surface water in new developments. These schemes can be designed to slow water down, provide areas for water storage and can also provide a variety of amenity and biodiversity benefits. More information on SuDS and how to successfully integrate them into developments is available from the Susdrain website (external link). More information is also available in the documents below: 

The Flood Team at Cambridgeshire County Council can offer pre-application advice on all of these issues and can be contacted by: