Flood
Blog
The Importance of Site Visits in Flood Risk Management
By Sebastian Henshaw, Flood Risk Consultant – BSc (Hons) MCIWEM. October 2025.
In Simon Crowther’s previous article on Understanding the CIRIA C790 Code of Practice, he set out why a structured and methodical approach to Property Flood Resilience is essential if the recommendations are going to stand up in the real world. Stage 2, the property survey, is where that approach either becomes meaningful or remains theoretical.
The Code does not ask for a site visit for the sake of process. It asks for it because without seeing the building, the advice is based on assumption.
At FPS Environmental we treat the property survey as the point where data is understood in relation to the site.
Mapping, historic records and modelled information are all valuable. We use them on every instruction. But they do not tell you whether a flood wall is continuous, whether a threshold has been bridged by later alterations, whether a return has been left unprotected, or whether a driveway falls back towards the property.
Those are not minor details. They are the difference between a measure working and not working. Without ground-truthing the site, a technically compliant report can fail to perform when it is needed.
Turning a report into an implementation plan
A measured survey of the building allows every opening, threshold and potential ingress point to be recorded properly and referenced back into the recommendations.
That means when a measure is proposed, it is not described in general terms. It is tied to a specific location, with a clear explanation of how it interacts with the construction, an indication of likely cost, and an understanding of how important it is in the overall strategy.
For the client, that changes the document completely. It stops being a piece of guidance and becomes something that can actually be implemented.
Data versus site surveys
Remote imagery, modelled data and footprint plans are valuable tools, but they cannot tell us about the condition of flood barriers, flood walls or earth bunds. Inspecting existing defences in person, and incorporating those observations into the recommendations, allows us to advise clients on the most effective mitigation strategy for their specific circumstances.
When remote data is combined with information gathered on site, it bridges a critical information gap. The analysis is grounded in first-hand evidence rather than relying solely on modelled data, which inherently contains assumptions.
When threshold levels are understood, alongside the site’s drainage arrangements, the risk to the property can be interpreted far more accurately.
A site survey also allows us to recommend targeted, property-specific solutions for precise locations around a building. Using our survey software, every observation and photograph is recorded, mapped and embedded directly into the report. This not only adds depth to the document, but also supports the consultant in recalling the property in detail when subsequent advice or follow-up work is required.
A sound understanding of the property layout and the surrounding area also enables our consultants to identify and consider larger strategic measures that might otherwise be missed at the desktop stage.
When a flood management measure is recommended, the report sets out the exact location and characteristics of the measure, its approximate cost, and its relative importance within the overall risk management strategy. That clarity allows clients to understand exactly what they are investing in, why it matters, and how it fits into a coherent resilience strategy.
Why this matters in practice
Site visits are not a compliance exercise. They are what allow a Property Flood Resilience report to do its actual job: providing advice that is specific to the building, tied to its construction, and capable of being implemented as the basis for real engineering work.
Flooding is not only a technical or financial issue. It carries significant emotional and personal impact for the people affected. Meeting clients in person during a survey allows that human context to inform the technical advice. It also makes it easier for clients to ask questions during and after the survey, and to follow up on specific points as their resilience strategy develops.
At FPS Environmental, site surveys are not optional extras. They are the basis on which we ensure our reports are not only compliant with C790, but grounded in the reality of each individual property.
Further reading
FPS Environmental delivers Property Flood Resilience surveys for homeowners, businesses, insurers and Lead Local Flood Authorities, including work delivered in line with the CIRIA C790 Code of Practice and to the standards expected on the Specialist Register of PFR Professionals.
For wider technical context, see our Flood Investigation and Management Strategy work, which examines flood mechanisms at catchment and property scale to inform the kinds of mitigation strategies described above.
