Flood risk assesment for new windows?

Gazman16 · 2 Aug 2015

Hello

I am trying to help a customer sort out planning permission for new windows in 7 ground floor flats in a conservation area. We have gone with the pre application method.

We have got a letter back saying PVC is fine in the rear of the property (80% of the windows) but they want wood at the front and they also want a "basic flood risk assessment".

The building has never been flooded. Any ideas how I go about doing or getting a flood risk assessment?

Also the customer has no interest in timber windows, If they do the front windows (5 large ones) they want maintenance free PVC (the houses on the other side of the road all have PVC). Any ideas on how best to get them to change their minds?
I may be able to talk the customer into going for these: http://www.residence9.co.uk/conservation
but when I previously tried to talk to the planning people they would only deal with the customer directly.

bernardgreen · 2 Aug 2015

from https://www.gov.uk/prepare-for-a-flood/find-out-if-youre-at-risk

1. Find out if you’re at risk

To plan for a flood, check your risk from:

Email [email protected] to get the flooding history of the land around a property. This is a free service unless it’s for a business or takes more than 18 hours to complete.

You must include:

the property’s address
a map showing the property’s location
your address and phone number

Gazman16 · 2 Aug 2015

Awesome thanks!

bernardgreen · 2 Aug 2015

Some commercial "flood risk" services work solely on post codes. My mother's post code has a "significant risk of flooding" as it is close to a river. To flood the house the river would have to rise about 40 feet and flood many square miles to that depth. These companies seem to have not heard about hills and high ground close to rivers.

Gazman16 · 2 Aug 2015

bernardgreen said:
Some commercial "flood risk" services work solely on post codes. My mother's post code has a "significant risk of flooding" as it is close to a river. To flood the house the river would have to rise about 40 feet and flood many square miles to that depth. These companies seem to have not heard about hills and high ground close to rivers.

Lol I'm still wondering what risk of flooding has to do with new windows! Maybe they are hinting that I should fit some nice round Porthole windows?

bernardgreen · 2 Aug 2015

It might be that the new windows have to withstand a certain depth of water outside the side without letting any water into the house. Would make sense for a few inches of flood water, maybe for a foot of water assuming the door is equally water proof. Not worth it having to withstand more than two feet because with that depth outside it is likely the sewers would be backing up and the ground floor toilets would be over flowing.

^woody^ · 2 Aug 2015

Ask the planner why you need a flood plain report, and not a tree, traffic or bat survey.

The penny may drop in his/her head. May.

Gazman16 · 2 Aug 2015

^woody^ said:
Ask the planner why you need a flood plain report, and not a tree, traffic or bat survey.

The penny may drop in his/her head. May.

I'm not sure I want to give them anymore ideas there lol. Assuming the flood risk assessment if free/cheap we can live with that.

Twin Dad · 2 Aug 2015

Having just gone through the planning process for new windows in a conservation area I'd be interested to see where about's you are? Do you know if there is an "article 4" restriction for this particular area?

Gazman16 · 3 Aug 2015

DIYOliver said:
Having just gone through the planning process for new windows in a conservation area I'd be interested to see where about's you are? Do you know if there is an "article 4" restriction for this particular area?

I dont think my customer has sent me all of the letter she got from the planning department (just 2 pages) but there is no mention of Article 4 in what I have. Im in Minehead, Somerset.

Twin Dad · 3 Aug 2015

I'm no expert in this however this is what I have learned.

There are 2 things you can't do in a conservation area without consent:

1) Demolition
2) Works to trees.

Other than that, normal permitted development rights would apply. These may have been removed by an "article 4" restriction but not every conservation area has these. So either people all over the country are changing windows without permission when they shouldn't be and this isn't being enforced or permission isn't needed at all.

Where I am, having gone through the the process of asking is permission was required then applying for permission (as advised) I have now been told permission wasn't needed in the first place. I was planning to swap old storm casement timber windows for UPVC (as I want the low maintenance option also).

Having learnt what I now know and given the 8 weeks min that planning will take, if this were me I'd be asking why permission is needed - bearing in mind with no article 4 normal permitted development applies. If the answer comes back that "its because you're in a conservation area", and if there is no article 4 restriction then this is false. If they say it's due to change of appearence and regadless of the conservation area then it seems that they will want to enforce something that is ignored across the rest of the UK.......

Not sure if this is helpful but I'm happy to share.

Cheers.

Nakajo · 4 Aug 2015

DIYOliver - I'm not sure where you're getting your information from but, to a rough approximation, I think all work within conservation areas requires planning permission All work involving the demolition of buildings within conservation areas used to require Conservation Area Consent but this was fairly recently abolished and replaced with a Planning Permission for 'demolition of a building in a Conservation Area'. In any case, the same act that abolished the CAC also made it a criminal (as opposed to a civil) offence to carry out work in a CA without consent - so if in doubt, check!

Twin Dad · 4 Aug 2015

Not all work in a conservation area requires planning. You can see this on the government planning portal

http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/permission/responsibilities/planningpermission/permitted

Or even better read through the GPDO that describes exactley what can be done as permitted development and what cannot. In the context of this document a consvertation falls with Article 1(5) land.

http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/100806_PDforhouseholders_TechnicalGuidance.pdf

Its actually quite worth reading before you go and speak to the council about planning as being armed with the facts can save being fobbed of or miss-informed.

Nakajo · 4 Aug 2015

Am I mistaken? Article 1(5) land does appear to rear up its ugly head rather often within that guidance - the interesting exception being Class E (at least to some extent, and subject to listed building status)

Twin Dad · 6 Aug 2015

I appreciate there are several references to Article 1(5) land but the point still remains that your permitted development rights are not automatically reduced because you live in a conservation area. Yes, permitted development does distinguish between Article 1(5) land and non Article 1(5), of which a conservation area is one type, but the results are your permitted development rights. In a conservation area these are removed only if an article 4 direction is made.

Section A covers windows and from memory there is nothing restricting what can be done with windows on Article 1 (5) land vs everywhere else. The entire UK is however covered by section A.3 that requires materials used for permitted development to be similar to that used in the original house. My guess is that by the letter of the document everyone should be applying to change from wooden windows to UPVC however this is largely not enforced except in a tiny number of places eg a conservation area.

What do you think Nakajo? Have a miss-read this document?

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Flood risk assesment for new windows?

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