Strategy drawn up to prevent Fylde floods repeat

A council working group was appointed just over a year ago to review flooding and surface water management in the borough in response to growing concerns amid increased incidents of flooding in Fylde.

Its aim was to identify ways to enable greater coordination and effectiveness to reduce future flooding and ensure that responses to emergencies are swift and robust.

The result is 30 key recommendations which have now been adopted by the Environmental Health and Housing Committee.

A reprioritisation of focus across groups, further joint working opportunities to ensure accessibility of skills and assets, and a recommendation that Fylde Council consider allocating additional resources to preparing a Fylde flood risk management strategy and action plan are all intended to improve coordination and responsiveness.

A Fylde Council spokesman said: “The working group found that new processes to review performance of individual agencies and their collective efforts would provide excellent opportunities to ensure their mutual goals are being met in a timely and effective manner.

“With shared monitoring of joint areas of concern, each agency involved could provide additional support and analysis to their partners.

”Coordination with residents with land by watercourses is considered a key area, with recommendations to establish a Fylde Flood Forum and a mapping and modelling project to identify locations susceptible to flooding, and to advise any landowners of best practices in maintenance.”

The review also advised on empowering communities to respond and adapt to flooding and coastal change.

Coun Tommy Threlfall, chairman of the Environment, Health and Housing Committee, and who led the review, said: “The most humbling experience in all my days as a councillor was being shown through heavily flooded premises, observing the damage and hearing people’s stories.

“I could not be prouder of the working group’s recommendations, and I am keen to engage with other relevant agencies to improve and address issues with surface water flooding going forward.”

Fylde Council’s Technical Services Department will now seek to implement the recommendations in partnership with the Environment Agency, neighbouring local authorities, and other agencies.

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