Yes there has been a lot of rain over the last few weeks, unprecedented in some areas, but are we as a nation to blame for the houses being flooded. We build more and more houses on known flood planes and we don't make any provision for the excess water to go. Councils allow the houses to be built with total disregard for the consequences when the worse happens. There are little or no flood protection schemes in place apart from the Thames.

 

Its easy to blame the weather, but if this is the future, shouldn't we do something about prevention?

Luckily where I live we haven't had as much rain as up the North, I'm down in the South-East, but I do have friends up north touch wood they haven't been affected that much, but it does bring it up that we are to blame, they are practically building a new community in Rochester near a Cinema and Bingo Complex etc. bears to think what would happened round that area, the River Medway is close.

can you imagine the uproar if the water companies start bleating about water shortages this year? :rolleyes:

theres always been floods though, if houses are built on floodplains then of course they are at risk. i think the recent floods were caused by a mixture of events... bad planning, poor weather and poor landuse causing 'run off'.

A flood barrier has been built about 6 miles down river from us - am a little worried if it deployed that we will get the back up and get flooded!!

 

houses on flood plains - and lack of open ground to drain water - water runs off tarmac etc and doesn't get absorbed.

 

but is nature - can't stop the rain and wouldn't want to ;)

Yes there has been a lot of rain over the last few weeks, unprecedented in some areas, but are we as a nation to blame for the houses being flooded. We build more and more houses on known flood planes and we don't make any provision for the excess water to go. Councils allow the houses to be built with total disregard for the consequences when the worse happens. There are little or no flood protection schemes in place apart from the Thames.

 

Its easy to blame the weather, but if this is the future, shouldn't we do something about prevention?

Councils allow houses to be built on known flood plains because they have no choice. Planning legislation is - and always has been - biased in favour of the developers. If a Council tried to turn down an application because of the risk of flooding, the developer would appeal and would probably win.

Councils allow houses to be built on known flood plains because they have no choice. Planning legislation is - and always has been - biased in favour of the developers. If a Council tried to turn down an application because of the risk of flooding, the developer would appeal and would probably win.

I believe so.

Hasn't there been houses built in recent years under sea-level.

I believe so.

Hasn't there been houses built in recent years under sea-level.

 

Probably. Mind you, Schiphol airport (Amsterdam) is below sea level.