9.12 Some other flooding projects planned or progressing for the City include: • Morrison’s Island Public Realm Improvement and Flood Defence Scheme River Bride (Blackpool) Flood Relief Scheme • Glashaboy (Glanmire) Flood Relief Scheme • Douglas Flood Relief Scheme • Togher Culvert Works, Service Diversions and Public Realm Enhancement
The Guidelines recommend a sequential approach to spatial planning, promoting avoidance rather than justification and subsequent mitigation of risk. The guidelines define the Justification Test as an assessment of whether a development proposal within an area at risk of flooding meets specific criteria for proper planning and sustainable development and demonstrates that it will not be subject to unacceptable risk nor increase flood risk elsewhere. The Justification Test should be applied only where development is within flood risk areas that would be defined as inappropriate under the screening test of the sequential risk- based approach. Cork City Council will adopt a precautionary approach, namely to avoid development in floodplains, wetlands and coastal areas prone to flooding and so preserve these natural defences that hold excess water until it can be released slowly back into river systems, the sea or seep into the ground. Where flood risk is an issue, applicants will generally be required to carry out a site specific Flood Risk Assessment (apart from minor developments, where such an approach would not be justified). Policy in relation to the incorporation of measures such as Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) to reduce surface runoff is outlined above and should be incorporated in so far as possible to reduce risks.
Assessment of Development in Areas of Flood Risk
9.13 The Planning System and Flood Risk Management: Guidelines for Planning Authorities (2009) 14 , subsequently amended under Department of Environment, Community and Local Government Circular PL2/2014 15 , outline how the aim of flood risk management is to minimise the level of flood risk to people, business, infrastructure and the environment through the identification and management of existing and potential future flood risks.
14 https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/7db50-the-planning-system-and-flood-risk-management-guidelines-for-planning-authorities-nov-09/ 15 https://www.opr.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/2014-Flood-Risk-Mgmt-update-Circular-PL2-14-1.pdf
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Cork City Draft Development Plan 2022-2028
Volume 1 I Chapter 9
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