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

44Chapter 6:ConclusionPlanning Guidelines6.1 Under these guidelines, regional authorities and planning authorities havea key role to play in ensuring that an effective policy framework is put inplace to ensure that new development is both located and provided in sucha manner as to minimise the risk from flooding. Applicants for planningpermission, their agents and developers also have a key role to play in workingwith the policy framework referred to above and in completing developmentin compliance with planning permissions granted.6.2 The Government is undertaking significant work to enhance the level ofdetail and coverage of flood maps and other information on flood risks,primarily through the preparation of flood risk management plans and tosupport the development of the policy framework referred to above. However,in advance of the preparation of these maps and plans for any particulararea, it is to be expected that planning authorities should screen for floodrisk and, where necessary, undertake further stages of flood risk assessmentat relevant stages of the planning and development management processes.6.3 Assessment of flood risk should inform the on-going revision of developmentplans and local area plans. Planning applications submitted after thepublication of these guidelines should be accompanied as appropriate byflood risk assessments, enabling their proper consideration by planningauthorities and An Bord Pleanála with regard to flood risk, even though thespatial plan may not yet have been revised in the light of these guidelines.6.4 Planning authorities must strike a fair balance between avoiding flood riskand facilitating necessary development, enabling future development toavoid areas of highest risk and ensuring that appropriate measures are takento reduce flood risk to an acceptable level for those developments that haveto take place, for reasons of proper planning and sustainable development,in areas at risk of flooding.6.5 The Minister will monitor the on-going implementation of these guidelinesto ensure that flood risk management is fully integrated into the planningprocess.