KCC, as Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA), has an overview role for local flood, which is flooding that arises from surface runoff, ordinary watercourses, and groundwater. As LLFA, we have a duty to produce a Local Flood Risk Management Strategy (Local Strategy) that sets out how local flood risks will be managed in the county.
The current Local Strategy (2017-2023) needs to be replaced and we have drafted a new Local Strategy, which we are planning to consult the public and stakeholder organisations on. We are proposing that the next strategy will cover a 10-year period with a review after the first 5 years.
The draft Local Strategy builds upon lessons learnt from the previous strategy. Through it, we aim to improve the safety and wellbeing of Kent’s residents and the economy of Kent with appropriate flood risk management. We will do this by working with communities and partners, adapting to climate change, and utilising natural processes to provide multiple benefits, where possible.
The draft Local Strategy retains the objectives of the previous strategy, which are ‘Understanding flood risk’, ‘Reduce the risk of flooding’, ‘Resilient planning’, and ‘Resilient communities’. The actions proposed to achieve the objectives have been updated.
The draft local strategy was discussed at the Kent Flood Risk and Water Management committee meeting on the 14th November 2023, the papers and webcast can be seen here.
The consultation on the draft Local Strategy will open on the 22nd November 2023 and run until the 30th January 2024. The consultation can be found at www.kent.gov.uk/localfloodrisk, where you can let us know your views by completing the online questionnaire.
If you have any questions or queries relating to the Local Strategy or the consultation you can email us at flood@kent.gov.uk.