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Lead Local Flood Authority

Lead Officer – Dominic Henly, Flood Risk Management Team Manager, Planning Services

  1. As Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA), the County Council has the lead operational role in managing risk of flooding from surface water and groundwater in West Sussex.
  2. The Council’s key duties and responsibilities under the Flood and Water Management Act (2010) are as follows:
    • to develop, apply, maintain, and monitor a strategy for local flood risk management (i.e. the Local Flood Risk Management Strategy)
    • to investigate and report on major flooding incidents (to the extent that the LLFA considers it necessary or appropriate)
    • statutory consultee on major planning applications in relation to surface water, groundwater, and Ordinary Watercourses
    • permissive power under the Land Drainage Act 1991 to ensure that appropriate maintenance is carried out by riparian landowners on Ordinary Watercourses to reduce flood risk
    • maintain an asset register – prepare and maintain a register of structures and features that are likely to have a significant effect on flood risk
    • consenting and enforcement – give consent before works can be carried out on an Ordinary Watercourse [NB: ‘main rivers’ are the responsibility of the Environment Agency]. Enforcement is discretionary
    • perform as a Category 1 responder to flood incidents under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, including dealing with recovery and resulting homelessness
  3. The above sit with the Flood Risk Management Team in Planning Services, other than acting as a Category 1 responder, which sits with the Resilience and Emergencies Team (Shane Gindra).

 

 

 

Local Highway Authority

 Lead Officers: Ben Whiffin (Highway Operations Manager Eastern, Local Highway Operations) and Elio Rapa (Asset Manager – Structures and Drainage, Highways Planned Delivery)

  1. As Local Highway Authority, the County Council has responsibility under the Highways Act 1980 for providing and managing highway drainage and roadside ditches. The Council’s key duties are to:
  • undertake routine and reactive maintenance on all roads (except the A27 and M23/A23, which are the responsibility of National Highways), including associated drainage provided by gullies, drains and culverts
  • provide advice on road and road drainage issues associated with proposed development, ensuring any impact on the road network is taken into account
  • decide whether improvements to the transport network are needed, based on access to local facilities, and the possible effects of a development on road safety and congestion
  1. Routine and reactive maintenance is the responsibility of Local Highway Operations (LHO). This includes the investigation of blocked highway drains and jetting.
  2. The owners of land adjoining a highway have a common-law duty to maintain ditches to prevent them causing a nuisance to road users. The new Riparian Officers in LHO are leading on this work.
  3. Planned improvements to highways drainage are the responsibility of the Structures and Drainage Team in Highways Planned Delivery; this includes works identified by LHO through routine inspections.
  4. The Structures and Drainage Team also delivers non-highways flood alleviation schemes (e.g. Angmering Phase 1) as identified by the Flood Risk Management Team.

Operation Watershed

  1. Technical advice for the review of Operation Watershed bids is provided by Kevin Macknay, the Drainage and Flood Risk Lead (in the Structures and Drainage Team).