The Royal Institute of
British Architects (RIBA) has published a new report outlining what the
Government needs to do to help create homes and communities that are resilient
to flood damage.
RIBA’s The Value of
Flood Resilient Architecture and Design report stresses that the UK can no
longer base its approach to managing flood risk on simply keeping the water
out.
The Government needs
to enable communities to manage their risks. This means better equipping people
and businesses to live with water; being able to stop water entering their
properties and speeding recovery if it does.
The RIBA report
advocates building flood resilient homes and buildings. To do this it
recommends that the Government develops a new approach to decision-making and
regulation in tackling flooding threats, encourages innovation in flooding
resilience in the housing and urban design sector, and introduces specific
building regulations for flood resilience and resistance - ensuring that these
are taken up by any building owner exposed to flood risk.
The report concludes
that embedding flood resilient design will help future-proof new developments
and deliver greater value for money when investments in new flood defences are
made. In addition, there is room for the UK to become a leader in this area,
paving the way with innovative responses and solutions to flooding.
RIBA President Ben
Derbyshire said: “In the next 30 years, the number of homes at risk of flooding
is expected to double. Now is the time to adapt and think creatively about how
to tackle this threat. The RIBA urges the Government to step up and encourage
the collaboration and innovation needed to create new homes and communities
that are resilient to the devastating effects of flooding.”
The report makes five
key recommendations for Government:
- Improved decision-making
processes which address a broader range of factors and potential solutions
to water management issues
- Pilot ‘Licences for Innovation’
to examine the effectiveness of new approaches to managing flood risk in
new development to flooding and ensure all new buildings incorporate
appropriate measures
- Examine the potential for
regulations on flood resilience to be linked to Flood Zone Designations
through Building Regulations and planning policy
- Regulate to ensure that all new
developments in flood risk areas demonstrate reduced exposure and
vulnerability to flood damage as well as broader benefits to the
resilience of the local area
- Encourage greater uptake of
flood-resilient design by home and building owners exposed to flood risk.
