Rother District Council is carrying out a new Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA), as required by National Planning Policy.  The SFRA will assess the risk to Rother district from flooding from all sources, now and in the future, taking account of the impacts of climate change. It will also consider the impact that land use changes and development in the area will have on flood risk.

The Strategic Flood Risk Assessment will refine information on river and sea flooding risk shown on the Environment Agency’s Flood Map for Planning (Rivers and Seas). It will also consider risks of flooding from surface water, groundwater, reservoirs and sewers. The SFRA will be used to:

• Provide comprehensive supporting evidence to inform the Emerging Local Plan (2019-2039), so that flood risk is taken into account in the preparation of new Local Plan policies and site allocations;
• Identify the requirements for site-specific flood risk assessments, required to support planning applications, including those in locations at risk from sources other than river and sea flooding;
• Inform emergency planning capability;
• Consider opportunities to reduce flood risk to existing communities and developments.

The SFRA is being prepared by JBA Consulting on behalf of Rother District Council in consultation with the Environment Agency, East Sussex County Council (as lead local flood authority), the Romney Marshes Area Internal Drainage Board and the Pevensey and Cuckmere Water Level Management Board.

There are 2 levels of Strategic Flood Risk Assessment:

• Level 1 Assessment: to identify whether necessary development can be accommodated outside high and medium flood risk areas.
• Level 2 Assessment: to be carried out where a Level 1 Assessment shows that all the necessary development cannot be accommodated outside flood risk areas. A Level 2 Assessment will consider the detailed characteristics of flooding in an area, such as probability, flood depth, velocity, rate of onset of flooding, and duration of flood.

The Rother District Level 1 Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (2021) provides information on all sources of flood risk in Rother District. It has been updated (2024) to account for changes to national policy, however, since then, further changes have been made to Environment Agency flood data, which is not yet reflected in the report. The assessment will be further updated as the Local Plan progresses, including to consider potential locations for development and undertake a Level 2 Assessment if necessary. The draft report (2024) is provided here for information only and should not be used in decision-making.

The 2021 Level 1 Strategic Flood Risk Assessment provides information on all sources of flood risk in Rother District and should be used by developers, alongside data on the Environment Agency’s website, in producing site specific flood risk assessments to support planning applications.