A Flood Risk Assessment (FRA) provided by Unda’s team of specialists will help you with your planning application; our high success rates save you time and money. 

Our team of experts use a phased approach to the reports –  by addressing the issues in a methodical and timely approach they can save valuable time. With reports from £299 and prepared from just 3 working days they also offer a low cost, high value solution.

Why Do I need a Flood Risk Assessment?

Flooding is becoming more and more common in the UK and globally. In many cases this is simply due to the fact we are building more homes and businesses but there are larger environmental factors at play too. It is now more important than ever to get a robust and high quality report done when planning any new property development or when buying a new home. This goes for domestic as well as commercial projects and purchases.

Other reasons for getting an FRA or another for of report we offer include:

• Planning Applications under NPPF, SPP, TAN 15 and PPS-15
• Specifically for renewable energy and energy generation sites
• For insurance purposes
• To support land or property purchases

What Will the Assessment Include?

Our reports are written and created specifically to the needs of each client. Our friendly team will guide you through the process if you have not commissioned a report before. If you have experience in this kind of report you will find our team knowledgeable and easy to deal with. We understand how important these reports are and how much can be riding on them. We gather details from a range of sources and advanced software; pulling together rain data, seawater and river information, groundwater data, previous flood data and more.

When we have all of the information surrounding your plans, site or property we then deal directly with the national governing body in question depending on the part of the country you are in. We have years of experience with the Environment Agency as well as the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, National Resources Wales and the Rivers Agency in Northern Ireland.   We also deal directly with your local planning authority to make sure we include the detailed requirements they set down too.

As well as the report itself we also offer guidance on how to reduce and mitigate flood risk in and around your planned development or property. This can include drainage assessments which we also provide as well as preliminary drainage design and surface water strategy (SuDS)

For Planning

Flood Risk Assessments (FRAs) are being requested more frequently to support planning applications or are made a planning condition for a proposed development situated in a known flood zone. Unda’s team of experienced Flood Risk Consultants know that a flood risk assessment prepared and written in a clear and concise style that provides answers will more likely achieve planning authority approval for our clients.

For more information about FRAs and planning please Click Here

Unda has achieved a 100% success rate of our reports being accepted by planning authorities for understanding potential flood risks.

The type and complexity of report required will depend on the intended development and geographical location. Unda’s phased approach looks at the site’s location and planned future use and then our consultants will develop a site specific report which potentially reduces costs and saves time. All our reports are prepared in accordance with the development and flood risk planning statements for England (FRA) and Wales – Flood consequence assessment (FCA)

The Environment Agency provides a planning flood map which clearly identifies areas that are at risk of flooding. These areas are broken into zones:

Zone 1  – Low Probability of flooding

Zone 2 – Medium Probability of flooding

Zone 3 – High probability of flooding.

If you are buying or building any kind of property in these areas it is critical to find out if you are required by law to have a flood risk assessment (FRA). The Government states you must have an FRA if the proposed development:

• includes building or engineering works in Flood Zone 2 or 3;
• includes building or engineering works on land classified by the EA or Local Authority as having critical drainage problem;
• changes the use of land or buildings in a place at risk of flooding from rivers or the sea, or with critical drainage problems;
• changes the use of land or buildings in a way that increases flood vulnerability of the development where it may be subject to other sources of flooding;
• is larger than 1 hectare.

Why choose Unda?

• Quality reports at competitive best value prices
• Delivered quickly on time every time to meet your deadlines
• An excellent track record with achieving Planning Authority approval
• A team of experienced flood risk consultants
• Free initial telephone consultation if required
• Free written quotations

Advice and Guidance

Our consultancy team has extensive experience of preparing Flood Risk Assessments for many different situations. These include insurance and most commonly to gain Planning approval to meet NPPF, PPS25, TAN15 guidelines, from pre-feasibility stage and initiation right through to planning consent and the full discharge of planning conditions. We can provide invaluable advice and guidance on flood risk at every stage of the planning process and have developed an excellent working relationship with the statutory agencies (the Environment Agency – EA, Natural Resources Wales – NRW and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency – SEPA).

Get In Touch with UNDA today to discuss or order your report. 

Or Call Us Now on 01293 214444

It is important not to assume planning will be granted because a building already exists on the site. In some instances a building can be torn down assuming a replacement building can be then developed. This is not always the case because updated flood information and rules have been applied to the area. Getting a full Flood report done before even buying dilapidated property to knock down is critical to avoid huge expense later. In some situations the land may not be suitable for any kind of development due to increased flood risk and so the purchase could result in un-usable land.

For Insurance

In many cases insurance companies will require a site specific assessment before being able to cover certain properties. Having the FRA done prior to purchase can save a great deal of added expense later when huge premiums may be added on just to cover the property.

Unda has a large consultancy team with a huge mix of experience and professional backgrounds; consultants, engineers, senior consultants and principle consultants enable us to work across all scales of planning; from a minor extension or change of building use through to large scale major residential, commercial and industrial developments.

For further information please telephone us on 01293 214444, a brief outline of your development and postcode is all we generally need to provide a guide on the type of report you are likely to need. Alternatively complete our contact us form and we will call you back.