NTAG 23/9/04: Progress Report from SFM Sub-Group

1. NTAG 23/9/04: Progress Report from SFM Sub-Group NTAG2004(35) Paper: • Sub-Group tasked with: • Defining sustainable flood management • Developing a set of objectives and principles (Output is presented in Annex B) • To support this work, the Sub-Group has also given consideration to: • Measuring progress against the objectives & principles through the use of indicators (Output is presented in Annex C & D)

2. SFM Sub-Group Outputs Definition 1. Scope 2. Policy 3. Responsibilities 4. Decision-making 5. Uncertainty 6. Resources 7. Options 8. Environment 9. Multiple Benefits 10. Openness 11. Democracy 12. Simplicity Objectives • Overall • Social • Environmental • Economic • Future Generations Principles Measurement Indicators

3. SFM Sub-Group : the journey so far ... • Development of draft SFM definition, objectives and principles • 17th June SNH seminar discussed “What is Sustainable Flood Management?” • Language and content of definition, objectives & principles modified in light of seminar feedback • Work on detailed meanings of objectives and principles • Ideas for ‘valid’ and ‘measurable’ indicators (with reference to SE Sustainability Framework, Defra/EA guidance, and international best practice) • Paper NTAG2004(35) is key output of this process

4. The SFM Sub-Group recommends that NTAG... • Agrees the definition of SFM (para 5) today • Agrees one overall objective and a further 4 equal objectives (para 7 of Annex B) today • Agrees 12 principles (para 8 of Annex B) today; and • Members offer corporate feedback on the detailed meaning of the objectives (para 13 of Annex D) by 31 October for a further draft.

5. Proposed (Final) Definition [NTAG2004(35) para 5] “Sustainable flood management provides the maximum possible social and economic resilience* against flooding, by protecting and working with the environment, in a way which is fair and affordable both now and in the future.” (* ‘resilience’ means: ‘able to recover quickly and easily’. The Executive uses it to deliver the ‘four As’: Awareness + Avoidance + Alleviation + Assistance.)

6. Purpose of Objectives & Principles • The SFM Definition, objectives and principles are intended for all stakeholders Objectives [Annex B para. 6] … objectives, which will: • act as a long-term vision, which can also encourage interactive learning and education on flood risk management; • etc … Principles • [para. 8] … set out how the objectives might be delivered. • Most ofthem include elements within the current LA’s duties and responsibilities, but: • in accordance with the long-term vision of the objectives they include wider issues - to encourage learning and education. • Key issue for future development of Guidance for practitioners is to translate the principles into clear practical guidelines.

7. Draft objectives for SFM[Annex B para 7] • Overall objective: • Meet needs for resilience against flooding. • To meet this overall objective, the following needs must be balanced: • Social – enhance community benefit, with fair outcomes for everyone; • Environmental – protect and work with the environment, with respect for all species, habitats and landscapes; • Economic – deliver resilience at affordable cost (construction, maintenance, running and renewal); with fair economic outcomes and the protection of local jobs and wealth; • Future generations – allow for future uncertainty (the ‘precautionary principle’), with a fair balance between meeting present needs and those of future generations.

8. Draft Principles for SFM [Annex B para 8] • [Scope] This framework of definition, objectives and principles for sustainable flood management (SFM), and the measurement indicators attached, apply equally to all types of flooding: surface, sewer, river, estuarine and coastal. • [Policy] SFM should reflect a strategic approach both nationally and locally, with phasing if appropriate. It should incorporate the WFD principles of integrated management for all water bodies, and planned ‘control at source’ (ie. prevention of risk) through the use of SPP7 planning controls. • [Responsibilities] All stakeholders share responsibility for achieving SFM. They are expected to collaborate constructively to meet SFM objectives, with the lead taken by the appropriate party(ies) according to their statutory, legal, common law or commercial role(s).

9. Draft Principles for SFM [Annex B para 8] • [Decision-making] Sustainability issues should be considered from the earliest stages of investigating options. A whole-life (construction, maintenance, running and renewal) view of the costs and benefits is essential, each option requiring an assessment of sustainability. Decision-making tools will include, but not be limited to, Cost Benefit Analysis and should make the ‘values’ applied explicit. • [Uncertainty] A long-term view of sustainability means taking account of future uncertainties, including climate and societal change. It also requires explicit consideration of the implications of flood events that exceed design limits. • [Resources] Resources should be used sustainably. • [Options] All possible options for flood management should be considered including, through to full evaluation, at least one option that represents a ‘most sustainable benchmark’, addressing all four ‘A’s: Awareness, Avoidance, Alleviation and Assistance, even if regulatory or legal barriers appear to block implementation.

10. Draft Principles for SFM [Annex B para 8] • [Environment] Biodiversity and landscapes should be protected and enhanced (wherever possible) and negative impacts avoided. • [Multiple Benefits] SFM should seek opportunities for multiple benefits wherever possible, and seek other relevant funding sources. • [Openness] The whole SFM process should be transparent; and there should be a common, shared source of information, which all stakeholders can access and learn from. • [Democracy] Implementation of SFM should maximise community engagement. Decisions should be taken at the local level, as far as possible, and reflect local community ‘Agenda 21’ or similar sustainability objectives. • [Simplicity] Implementation of SFM should be understandable, and should aim for ease of delivery, with self-correcting and learning behaviour, and sharing of knowledge.

11. Detailed Meanings and Measuring Performance of Objectives [Annex D] • Objectives 2, 3, & 5 each have two components; Objective 4 has three components • 10 tables presented in Annex D with the following headings for each objective: • Detailed meaning • Measurement Indicators - ideas for proposal level • National Scale Measure - overall measure of progress • (notes from Sub-Group members) • The intended audience for the “Definition & Objectives” is all stakeholders - not only as guidance for practitioners - and so ... • Detailed meanings are proposed to clarify what facts we need to know about any SFM proposals to effectively assess progress against objectives or compliance with principles (i.e. to tell us what we would really need to measure) [validity]. • Agreement of the detailed meanings will enable the ideas on measurement indicators to be progressed [measurement].

12. Detailed Meanings of Objectives Objective 1 [Annex D] • Objective 1: • Overall -Meet needs for resilience against flooding. • Detailed Meaning: • Reduce the total sum of flooding impacts over time, to an agreed level. • Specifically: (i) Personal social impact (death and injury, evacuation, shock, and distress); (ii) Potential damage to property; (iii) Personal (travel) interruptions; and (iv) Lost production and sales.

13. Detailed Meanings of Objectives Objective 2 [Annex D] • Objective 2(a): • Social: Enhance community benefit with fair outcomes for everyone. • Detailed Meaning: (i) Benefits from physical improvements to the urban and rural environment, (ii) The increase in community responsibility and self-help generated (e.g. the ‘Boscastle effect’ but pre-flooding). The challenge is to establish an indicator that can effectively capture the diversity of ‘social capital’ in perceived benefits and individual responses.

14. Detailed Meanings of Objectives Objective 2 [Annex D] • Objective 2(b): • Social: Enhance community benefit with fair outcomes for everyone. • Detailed Meaning: • This requires that: (i) All those at risk have appropriate access to the benefits of SFM (reduced impacts); and (ii) Payment (whether by Local Authority tax, direct flood-proofing, insurance, etc.) by those at risk should be in proportion to the level of benefits they receive.

15. Detailed Meanings of Objectives Objective 3 [Annex D] • Objective 3(a): • Environment - protect and work with the environment with respect for all species, habitats and landscapes • Detailed Meaning: • The individual elements are to: (i) Protect the water environment (quality and quantity); and (ii) Minimise emissions of greenhouse gases

16. Detailed Meanings of Objectives Objective 3 [Annex D] • Objective 3(b): • Environment - protect and work with the environment with respect for all species, habitats and landscapes • Detailed Meaning: • This includes: (i) Delivering Biodiversity Plan targets, (ii) Protecting and/or improving water courses, ecological habitats and landscapes (geomorphology)

17. Detailed Meanings of Objectives Objective 3 [Annex D] • Objective 4(a): • Economic - deliver resilience at affordable cost (construction, maintenance, running and renewal), with fair economic outcomes, and the protection of local jobs and wealth • Detailed Meaning: • Deliver SFM for lowest whole life cost of alleviation (capital costs, operation & maintenance, replacement, individual response funding and compensation), plus awareness, avoidance, and assistance costs.

18. Detailed Meanings of Objectives Objective 4 [Annex D] • Objective 4(b): • Economic - deliver resilience at affordable cost (construction, maintenance, running and renewal), with fair economic outcomes, and the protection of local jobs and wealth • Detailed Meaning: • Note: Nature causes flooding; human infrastructure and intervention causes its negative impacts [it is difficult to identify flood ‘causers’] • This requires: (i) A statement of the main causes of the flood impacts, which are to be reduced; (ii) A statement of who pays the costs; and (iii) A comparison and judgement on ‘fairness’

19. Detailed Meanings of Objectives Objective 4 [Annex D] • Objective 4(c): • Economic - deliver resilience at affordable cost (construction, maintenance, running and renewal), with fair economic outcomes, and the protection of local jobs and wealth • Detailed Meaning: • This includes: (i) the impact on jobs protected, and (ii) wealth generated for local community.

20. Detailed Meanings of Objectives Objective 5 [Annex D] • Objective 5(a): • Future - Allow for future uncertainty (the ‘precautionary principle’) with a fair balance between meeting present needs and those of future generations • Detailed Meaning: • This needs to take account of: (i) Allowance for increased rainfall (as a result of climate change) (ii) Allowance for increased or decreased catchment response (i.e. change in the run-off coefficient (iii) ‘Headroom’ potential, as the net result of both

21. Detailed Meanings of Objectives Objective 5 [Annex D] • Objective 5(b): • Future - Allow for future uncertainty (the ‘precautionary principle’) with a fair balance between meeting present needs and those of future generations • Detailed Meaning: • This must take account of: (i) Flood plain capacity for flood response - in terms of storage capacity and channel capacity (ii) Future affordability of continuing resilience (iii) Fail safe provision for design flood exceedence

22. Recommended Next Steps ... • Following feedback from members, produce a further draft of the indicators for comment • Seek detailed comments on definition, objectives & principles, indicators from other stakeholders • Prepare paper by Executive for public consultation • Members consider how this work might be piloted • Members consider how to take forward findings of Systems Dynamics research.