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

32• Include zoning objectives to preserve riparian strips free of developmentand of adequate width to permit access for river maintenance;• Include zoning objectives for different types of development havingregard to flood risk stressing the hierarchy of avoidance, followed wherenecessary by substitution then, as a last resort, by mitigation;Planning Guidelines• Incorporate development management guidelines to provide moredetailed assessment frameworks for planning applications where floodingis or may be an issue, including highlighting the need for assessmentof types of flooding other than river and coastal flooding and of theimpacts of run-off from development. This could take the form of ashort checklist or specific control standards;• Require detailed and rigorous Justification Tests based on these guidelines,where more vulnerable development is being considered in flood riskzones; and• Specify types of use or development and their vulnerability which relateto flood-hazard parameters such as depth and velocity.4.22 Where development in areas at risk of flooding is proposed in a developmentplan for broader proper planning and sustainable development, that type ofdevelopment must still be considered on merit and on a case-by-case basisthrough the development management process. The plan should includeobjectives which:• set out design and development objectives that seek to avoid flood riskto people and property, where possible;• seek to manage the risks to acceptable levels through the use of floodrelief schemes, and/or flood-resistant and flood-resilient constructionmethods, where avoidance is not possible; and/or• outline other important design standards and requirements such assustainable drainage systems and other design features (outlined inAppendix B).4.23 In addition, the development plan may outline specific objectives such asactions to be carried out in the plan area relating to flood risk managementor infrastructure. These actions may be the responsibility of the planningauthority or may be required of other parties such as developers, to facilitatedevelopment or to protect existing development. Specific objectives may alsoinclude further studies or plans to be prepared relating to flood riskmanagement.