| Tougher planning laws needed for floodplain |
|
| Thursday, 14 February 2008 | |
|
Hundreds of thousands of homes could be uninsurable and uninhabitable unless tougher planning controls are introduced, an insurance trade body has today warned. Of the 3m new homes that the Government plan to build by 2020, a third will be on the floodplain, the ABI (Association of British Insurers) has said. It added that 13 major developments have been passed, despite Environment Agency advice on flood risk in the past year. Speaking at the Architects Journal conference today, Justin Jacobs, the ABI's assistant director of Property, said: "The Government's ambitious housing plans are in jeopardy unless we reduce the flood risk. “Where a local authority plans to ignore flood risk advice, the Government should step in and review the proposals and be compelled to publish their decision. He added:
"Insurers want to continue to provide flood cover, but poor planning decisions will lead to more homes becoming unsaleable, uninsurable and uninhabitable."       |
