AGRICULTURE

Claims that the Government is sacrificing prime farm land to “over protect” suburban homes against flooding have been backed by a West Midland agricultural lawyer.

Iain Morrison, a partner with MFG Solicitors at Worcester, welcomed a report by the Institution of Civil Engineers which accused the Government, public agencies and councils of falsely raising the expectations of homeowners by suggesting that all houses can be saved from freak weather.

“As someone deeply involved with the farming community in several counties I can confirm there is growing tension in the agricultural sector,” he said.

“The Government announcement in June that it intends to bring forward a Flood Bill giving the Environment Agency and local authorities more powers needs to take account of farming and agricultural interests – with meaningful consultation in that sector.

“It is clear several steps are vital now to give planning authorities wider powers and specific strategies. 

“There must be more sustainable urban planning; the prevention of impermeable paving of driveways and gardens; the provision of more evacuation routes for water in gardens and on roads; and the use of natural contours on housing sites to facilitate controlled run-off.”

“Landowners believe their interests are being jeopardised by an unspoken government strategy of allowing farmland to flood in order to keep suburban properties dry.”

Mr Morrison said agriculture would be at increasing risk under current government policies and its apparent lack of ability to come to grips with many of the major issues involved.

Last summer’s storms, which devastated the soft fruit harvest in Worcestershire and Gloucestershire, caused damage estimated at £3 billion across the country.

Mr Morrison said he agreed that the West Midlands would continue to face the hazards of extreme flash flooding in the future.

The ICE Report calls on the Environment Agency, local councils and Severn Trent Water to take a “more realistic approach to risk”.

It argues this in turn would lead to a shift in public opinion about what steps homeowners can take to protect themselves against flooding.

“It is true that because of what the Agency has told the people, the public still believes government measures can be taken to achieve total protection from all flood risk,” Mr Morrison said.

“This policy of expecting the government to do everything for them only serves to discourage individuals from becoming more self reliant – and take precautions of their own to protect their homes and businesses against flooding.”

Mr Morrison said the Government should insist that the Environment Agency, Severn Trent and planning authorities co-operated when reaching decisions about future house building.

“The ICE report is correct in warning of the consequences of building 365,000 new homes across the West Midlands over the next 20 years – with flood plains remaining an attractive location for developers. More money needs to be spent now on flood protection – yet there is a history of Defra cutting back the national flooding budget in recent years.

“The Environment Agency’s flood risk management budget fell by around £80 million in 2006-07.”

The £14 million emergency payment to the West Midlands following last year’s flooding had failed to take into the account previous budget cuts.

“All this is in the context of a recent warning from the Association of British Insurers that there are over half a million homes at significant risk of being flooded.

“Now the ABI is warning that its members will not continue to insure people in high risk areas unless the government takes steps to better manage the threat of flooding.”

The ABI has agreed to continue to offer cover to people at moderate risk and existing customers at significant risk.

But the deal depends on the government delivering improvements to flood defences due within five years. Under a new plan, the Government has promised a long-term investment strategy in defences.

It says it will also ensure that the planning system will stop inappropriate development in flood-risk areas.

Mr Morrison also endorsed the findings of a report on the 2007 flooding by Sir Michael Pitt.

This accused the government of failing to take measures to protect electricity, sewage, water and transport networks, leaving people in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire with the feeling they had returned to “dark ages.”