IN WAKE of the floods in 2007, the Government appointed Sir Michael Pitt to conduct an independent report into the floods to determine how to improve flood management techniques.

Pitt made 92 recommendations in total, addressed to the Government, local authorities, local resilience forums, essential service providers, insurers and others - including the general public.

The Government released its response in December 2008. It said it supported all the recommendations in the review, which could suggest that we will see a major overhaul of flood management within the new Flood and Water Bill.

The response also said that over £60 million will be invested in taking forward the priorities identified in the Pitt report. DEFRA will set aside £34.5 million of funding specifically for the action plan, together with a further £27 million of funding that will be taken from other relevant budgets.

It is, say many, about time that such decisive action was taken.

Malcolm Tarling, spokesman for the Association of British Insurers says: "All the indications are that the flood risk in this country is getting worse, floods like the ones we saw in 2007 will become more common. So we need to manage and reduce the risk.

"The Government has admitted both publicly and privately that it plans on changing its approach to flooding the UK. It is starting by reassessing the true nature of flood risk, not just for rivers but for the sea and surface water drainage."

Six local authorities have also been allocated funding to develop a surface water flooding strategy that will be used in the event of extreme rainfall: Gloucestershire, Hull, Leeds, Richmond, Warrington and West Berkshire.

Cllr Martin Elengorn, from Richmond Council said: "This (funding) is vital when examining the risk posed by the different types of flooding affected by climate change. We need to establish risks relating to homes that are currently situated outside the Environment Agencies flood zones."

Flood prevention is also considered during new builds. The Government has addressed this through the enforcement of PPS25 - a Government guideline that set out very clearly that new properties shouldn't go ahead unless flood risks are factored in.

In spring 2009 the PPS25 practice guide will be revised to ensure it remains current. The update will consider the Government's response to the Pitt review and developments on future water strategy, including those relating to surface water management and Sustainable Drainage Systems (SUDS).

SUDS offer an alternative approach to traditional drainage. The systems employ techniques to manage drainage at the source, including dry ditches, detention ponds and integrated constructed wetlands. Each system aims to detain run-off and release water slowly into watercourses or the ground.

The use of SUDS reduces pollution and the systems are becoming more widespread in the UK as local authorities see the benefits that the system presents. This means that it's important that SUDS are factored into the PPS25 updates.

It is impossible to predict exactly what the Flood and Water Bill will say and what impact it will have on the industry. But some have very firm ideas about what they would like to see.

One change that all construction professionals, local authorities and insurers are keen to see is the appointment of official body to manage floods and flood prevention. Tarling says:

"There have been too many organisations responsible for managing different parts of the jigsaw and we'd like to see one body - The Environment Agency - given statutory powers and responsibilities to oversee the way that the flood risk is assessed, managed and mitigated in this country."

"One of the immediate concerns for us is identifying and tackling the problem of surface water and drainage.

"There are some areas of the country that are more susceptible to river and coastal flooding, but surface water draining flooding can affect any house anywhere at anytime. We need to get a much better grip on the extent of that problem; once we know the extent of the problem we can take steps to actually reduce them."