Purpose

The Lead Local Flood Authority has a 'pre-application advice service for surface water and sustainable drainage systems' for developers, which was launched in 2017. It has remained unchanged taking a 'one size fits all' approach to service delivery and charging structure regardless of development complexity. Charges have not been updated since the service's launch.

The service has been reviewed and renamed as 'Lead Local Flood Authority Planning Advice Service' to reflect the proposed broader range of paid-in services and revised charging structure. The proposals aim to better meet the needs of the county council's customers at more stages of the planning process whilst making more efficient use of resources.

This review delivers the recommendation (M2) made by the county council's former External Scrutiny Committee to promote the pre-application service. It will facilitate the design of high-quality surface water sustainable drainage design on major development and aid the Lead Local Flood Authority in responding to Local Planning Authorities to continue to deliver the county council's statutory duty under the Town and County Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015.

Decision

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.