Flood-aware design

Professional advice should always be sought when considering any development, particularly where flood risk may be present. Flooding is a natural part of the weather cycle. Flood risk is commonly considered a combination of probability and consequence. The consequences of flooding are usually measured in terms of the impact of flooding on the people or things that were flooded, the receptors. Flood risk is one of the most well-recognised constraints to planning, typically indicated through flood zones. Like spatial planning, designing for flood risk is developed at different scales from a national and regional level through to city planning. Flood zones are used to indicate areas of high to low flood risk, typically based upon probability of flooding. The Environment Agency also publishes interactive online maps should typically indicating the probability of flooding taking into account defences for various flood sources.