The Planning System and Flood Risk Management - Offaly County ...

28floodplain. Effective co-ordination and consistency between the developmentplans and local area plans of planning authorities will be essential in achievingthe overall objectives of the RPGs and in turn, the NSS. RPGs should alsoidentify opportunities where adjoining planning authorities can and shouldwork together to prepare such further joint studies as might be necessary toaddress the issue of flood risk at a more detailed level to inform their preparationof spatial plans.Planning GuidelinesFlood risk and the development plan4.8 The development plan plays a central role in the statutory planning process.Development plans provide an integrated and balanced framework forachieving proper planning and sustainable development at the city and countylevel and are the basis upon which development management decisions arebased. The importance of including robust flood risk policies in the developmentplan cannot be overstated. The development plan must also be informed bynational planning policy such as these guidelines and Regional PlanningGuidelines addressed above.4.9 The Catchment-based Flood Risk Management Plans (FRMPs) to be producedunder the EU ‘Floods’ Directive, will establish long-term strategies andprogrammes for managing flood risk within the relevant catchment. Thesemay include identification of areas of floodplain importance for conveyanceand natural storage and areas where flood risk management measures mayneed to be implemented. The preparation of development plans should haveregard to FRMPs with respect to land use and future flood risk managementmeasures.Integrating flood risk management into development planpreparation 14.10 The general process for preparing the development plan is outlined in previousPlanning Guidelines on Development Plans (DEHLG, 2007). Appendix E ofthose guidelines provided interim advice but has now been superseded bythis document and the specific guidance herein. In ensuring that flood riskissues are properly integrated into the development plan preparation andadoption processes, planning authorities should:(i)(ii)Implement the approaches set out in these guidelines, especially inrelation to decisions on the suitability of sites and areas for development;Carry out a screening exercise at the beginning of the development planreview process and in tandem with the SEA process to determine whetheror not a more detailed flood risk assessment (FRA) will be required,working with OPW, DAFF, DEHLG and making use of existing publishedsources of information; and1 See sections 4.27-4.28 for information regarding integrating flood risk management intoLAPs.