Exemplary implementation of the risk information in local spatial planning en

Програма за ТГС по ИПП България – Сърбия

EUROPEAN UNION Bulgaria – Serbia IPA Cross-border Programme

“Assessment of flood risk – a base for sustainable development in upper part of Nishava catchment”

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Exemplary implementation of the risk information in local spatial

planning

Key Planning Objectives

The aims of planning policy on development and flood risk are to ensure that

flood risk is taken into account at all stages in the planning process to avoid inappropriate

development in areas at risk of flooding, and to direct development away from areas at

highest risk.

Where new development is, exceptionally, necessary in such areas, policy aims

to make it safe without increasing flood risk elsewhere and where possible, reducing

flood risk overall.

Regional planning bodies (RPBs) and local planning authorities (LPAs) as the

municipalities of Godech (Republic of Bulgaria) and Dimitrovgrad (Republic of Serbia)

should prepare and implement planning strategies that help to deliver sustainable

development by:

Risk assessment

• identifying land at risk and the degree of risk of flooding from river, sea and

other sources in their areas;

• preparing Regional Flood Risk assessments (RFRAs) or Strategic Flood Risk

Assessments (SFRAs) if appropriate, as freestanding assessments that contribute to the

Sustainability assessment of the plans;

Risk management

• includes framework policies for regional development which avoid flood risk

for people and property where possible, and manage any residual risk, taking into

account the impacts of climate change;




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• only permitting development in areas of flood risk when there are no

reasonably available sites in areas of lower flood risk and the benefits of the development

outweigh the flood risk;

Reducing risk

• safeguarding land from development that is required for current and future

flood management, eg conveyance and storage of flood water, and flood defences;

• reducing flood risk to and from new development through location, layout and

design, incorporating sustainable drainage systems (SUDS);

• using opportunities offered by new development to reduce the causes and

impacts of flooding, eg surface water management plans; making benefits of green

infrastructure for flood storage, conveyance and SUDS; re-creating functional floodplain;

and setting back defences;

A partnership approach

• working effectively with the Environment Agency, the municipalities of

Godech and Dimitrovgrad, Sofia University „St. Kliment Ohridski”, other operating

authorities and other stakeholders to ensure that best use is made of their expertise and

information so that plans are effective and decisions on planning applications can be

delivered expeditiously; and

• ensuring spatial planning supports flood risk management policies and plans,

River Basin Management Plans and emergency planning.

Using flood risk information for the purposes of territorial planning

Step one

Identification of all known flood sources which are probable to cause

negative effect on the current or future develpment of the region;

Step two

To outline and map the regions with „low”, „mean” and high flood

probability:




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Areas with "high" probability of flooding where the flood probability is 1:100

or higher / p higher or equal to 1% for rivers and 0.5% for tidal flooding /, and is

included in Zone 3a with high probability, and Zone 3b is the functional floodplain. This

zone comprises land where water has to flow or be stored in times of flood. SFRAs

should identify this Flood Zone (land which would flood with an annual probability of 1

in 20 (5%) or greater in any year or is designed to flood in an extreme (0.1%) flood.

Areas with "mean" flooding probability with between 1 and 100, and 1 and

1,000 chance of flooding /1% to 0.1%/ for river flooding and between 0.5% to 0.1% for

tidal flooding is included in Zone 2 Mean Probability;

Area with low flood probability flood having less than 1:1000 likeliness /less

than 0.1%/ is included in Zone 1 Low Probability;

Within the borders of the areas at flood risk, it is recommended to: develop

appropriate land use /based on implementation of so called Sequential Test /, which will

not expose people and their property at flood risk;

Where the flood risk is identified as a limiting factor for the future development

of the area, it is recommended that: possible mitigation /containment/ protection

measures are taken, that can be integrated into spatial plans and schemes to reduce risk to

people and property.

An integral part of the Sequential approach is the classification of landuse

according to the flood vulnerability degree. The categories were determined by the flood

risk degree and the vulnerability degree of different land uses /including life of the

landowners/ to flood damage. Sample vulnerability classification is presented in Table 1.

Тable 1.Vulnerability ratio

Category Type of land use

Important infrastructure Main transport infrastructure /including evacuation

roads/, strategic infrastructure /energy power plants,

energy sub-stations, etc/

Highly vulnerable Police departments, emergency departments, living




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estates, sources of dangerous substances, etc.

Mean vulnerable Hospitals, hotels, kindergardens, prisons,

restaurants, schools, waste depots, recreation

resorts and facilities, etc.

Low vulnerable Shops, offices, agricultural buildings, waste water

purification plants and drinking water

Infrastructure relates to the water sector Protection facilities, sewage system and pumping

stations, water supply and pumping stations,

harbours, aquatic territories for recreation, etc.

The next step is definition of standards for eligible land use in the zones 1, 2

and 3. An example of eligible land use is presented in Table 2.

Table 2. Eligible land use in zones of flood risk

Flood vulnerability degree and compatibility of the types of landuse

Category Important

infrastructure

Infrastructure

related to the

water sector

Highly

vulnerable

Mean

vulnerable

Low

vulnerable

Zone 1 Allowed Allowed Allowed Allowed Allowed

Zone 2 Allowed Allowed Exception

Test

Allowed Allowed

Zone 3а Exception Test Allowed Not

allowed

Exception

Test

Allowed

Zone 3в Exception Test Allowed Not

allowed

Not

allowed

Not

allowed




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The assessment of the factors required by the Floods Directive /social,

economic, etc / will apply to Zone 3 and Zone 2. The point here is that this will identify

those areas in which to develop land use categories with a high degree of vulnerability

and the flood damage will be significant, i.e. those will be areas of "significant flood

risk".

Identification of the areas where landuse categories with high vulnerability

degree are developed, meaning that during flood the damage will be significant = areas

with „significant flood risk”.

Technology

Exemplary implementation of the risk information in local spatial planning en