PROJECT OVERVIEW
Iterative updates to East Lindsey District Council’s (ELDC) Level 1 and 2 SFRA, to support the emerging Local Plan review. The work refreshed the district-wide flood risk evidence base, including updated strategic coastal flood modelling, ensuring future development is planned safely and in line with national planning policy.
CREATE’S ROLE
We worked closely with ELDC and key partners to deliver a robust and policy-compliant evidence base for managing flood risk and guiding development across the district.
Our roles, technical services and outputs included:
- Level 1 SFRA: updated baseline evidence covering all flood risk sources.
- Strategic coastal flood modelling update across 70km of coastline, incorporating the latest climate change allowances and breach and overtopping scenarios.
- Level 2 SFRA: strategy for safe development within the coastal flood zone, focusing on residential and tourism sectors.
- Production of 277 detailed pro forma site assessment sheets to support site-level flood risk assessments and Sequential Test process.
- Support to tourism-related planning consents through modelling outputs.
- Collaboration with the Local Resilience Forum and partners to update the district-wide evacuation strategy.
- Development of principles for safe residential development within the flood zone.
CHALLENGES
The project involved managing complex coastal flood modelling while adapting to evolving policy, datasets and climate change guidance. Close coordination with ELDC, the Environment Agency, and the Local Resilience Forum ensured the strategy remained practical district-wide. Changes to funding mechanisms and policy required ongoing revisions to the baseline assessment and continuous stakeholder engagement, particularly regarding development in the coastal flood zone.
ACHIEVEMENTS AND BENEFITS
The updated SFRA provides a robust evidence base for the Local Plan, establishing a clear framework for safe and sustainable development in the coastal flood zone while supporting the district’s housing and tourism growth.