Flood Risk Assessments in Cumbria

The River Eden is the primary flood risk watercourse in the north of the county. Its floodplain extends through Appleby-in-Westmorland, Lazonby, Wetheral and into Carlisle, where the Caldew and Petteril join just before the Eden meets the Solway Firth. Carlisle’s existing flood defences provide protection to a standard that Storm Desmond demonstrated can be exceeded. Development within the defended area must address residual risk and breach failure scenarios explicitly. The Cumberland Council SFRA sets out the requirements for planning applications in the city and surrounding area.

The River Derwent drains Derwent Water and the central Lake District, flowing through Keswick and Cockermouth to the Solway coast at Workington. The Derwent catchment is one of the most flood-responsive in England. The combination of impermeable fell surfaces, high rainfall and a steep river gradient means that flood warnings can have very short lead times in this catchment. Development at Cockermouth, Workington and Keswick must engage with EA Derwent model data directly. The Cocker, Greta and other tributaries add complexity at their confluence points that must be addressed site-specifically.

South and west Cumbria – including Barrow-in-Furness, Ulverston, Dalton-in-Furness and the Duddon estuary – face a combination of tidal coastal flood risk from the Irish Sea and Morecambe Bay and fluvial risk from the Kent, Lune, Leven and Duddon. Coastal flood risk along the Cumbrian coastline from Silloth to St Bees is subject to the Environment Agency’s coastal flood boundary datasets and the relevant Shoreline Management Plan. Lancashire County Council acts as LLFA across the Lancaster and South Lakeland districts that border Lancashire, while Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness councils act as LLFA across the rest of the county.

• Development in Flood Zone 2 or 3 along the Eden, Derwent, Cocker, Kent, Lune, Leven or any tributary
• Development in Carlisle’s defended flood risk area requiring residual and breach risk analysis post-Storm Desmond
• Development in Cockermouth, Workington or Keswick where rapid catchment response and short flood warning lead times apply
• Coastal and estuarine development along the Irish Sea coast or in Morecambe Bay where tidal risk must be assessed
• Development of 1 hectare or more in Flood Zone 1
• Development requiring a surface water drainage strategy under Cumberland or Westmorland and Furness LLFA guidance

We understand Cumbria’s rapid-response catchment characteristics and the specific FRA requirements that follow from them. FRAs for Cumbrian valley settlements must address the speed of flood onset as well as flood depth – this is not a standard national planning requirement and requires specific analysis.

Our FRAs engage with EA Eden and Derwent model data directly and address the residual risk and climate change uplift requirements that apply to Carlisle’s defended flood risk area. We understand the difference between a Carlisle FRA and a generic defended site assessment.

We cover the whole of Cumbria including Carlisle, Penrith, Kendal, Cockermouth, Workington, Whitehaven, Barrow-in-Furness and the Lake District valley settlements.