2. Evaluating effectiveness In 1998 an internal report prepared by the Agency confirmed that in 44% of cases surveyed where the Agency had recommended against the granting of planning permission, the local authority, had proceeded to grant planning approval and ignored this advice. In 1996, 38% of cases where the Environment Agency had raised an objection to a planning application on the grounds of flood risk were ignored. In 2000, 14% of similar cases were ignored. Although this represented a reduction in percentage terms the actual number of cases where the Environment Agency’s objection was ignored more than doubled.1 In contrast in the EA’s ‘Development & Flood Risk in England’ Annual Report 2008-2009 published in 2010 highlighted a marked reduction in the number of occasions where applications were permitted against the Agency’s advice. The following data is extracted from the report:
Sources:
Plain sailing? Evaluating the effectiveness of PPS25
1.
Land-Use Planning: How Effective is it in Reducing Vulnerability to Natural Hazards? Alan Gunne-Jones, Institute of Civil Defence & Disaster Studies, 2003
2.
Development and flood risk in England report 2008-2009 , Environment Agency, 2010
4