As Cumbria struggles, Osborne plots to build homes on floodplains

Last Updated: December 12, 2015By

Almost half of the areas fast-tracked for new housing development by George Osborne are on floodplains, a Greenpeace investigation has shown.

Meanwhile the number of staff in the flood and coastal erosion risk management section of the Environment Agency, which advises councils on flood risk, fell by 230 in the past three years.

The government response to floods and climate change is completely shambolic. After cutting flood defence and Environment Agency funding, failing to stop rural policies that sharply increase flood risk and deciding to build homes to temper the housing crisis in areas at high risk of flooding, it is not so much ignoring the problem as inflaming it.

Cuts have consequences, as food banks and homelessness rates show, and cuts that ignore climate change are a deliberate social injustice to the poorest and most vulnerable tenants and homeowners.

Source: As Cumbria struggles, Osborne plots to build homes on floodplains | Housing Network | The Guardian

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8 Comments

  1. hilary772013 December 12, 2015 at 4:17 pm - Reply

    Osborne is an IDIOT! he should live through being flooded, it is NOT nice.. STUPID!

  2. Dez December 12, 2015 at 4:28 pm - Reply

    This Governments short term thinking with no common sense applied reminds me of the stock market and the gambling bankers that create the worlds financial mess. They saved money on scrapping local flood management schemes then when that created a flooding mess the sticking plaster flood schemes were blazed out with much white helmeted presence of government photo opportunists, A few of their builder buddies will get rich, aided by much government financial support to build, build, build. The fact they are going to build on ponds and flood plains will not register one jot when money and ribbon cutting ceremonies are on the horizon. Pity the poor sods who have to live with this crap decision as they will end up with worthless property unable to get insurance or move anywhere….as is already happening….so much for their usual cry “we must learn from our mistakes” . Nothing stands in the way of pure greed.

  3. Neilth December 12, 2015 at 6:03 pm - Reply

    Building on flood plains is perfectly feasible so long as the stilts that the buildings are raised on are high enough and th boat house can be placed on top of a ground level garage giving the residents the option when the waters rise high enough.

    • Neilth December 12, 2015 at 6:05 pm - Reply

      Of course in the real world it’s a bloody stupid idea when linked with Gideons attitude to climate change and the inevitable increase in the frequency of extreme weather events

  4. Michael Broadhurst December 12, 2015 at 6:27 pm - Reply

    no such thing as common sense as far as this govt is concerned.its extinct like the govt should be.

  5. Bookworm December 12, 2015 at 11:10 pm - Reply

    Why are they allowed to build on flood plains?
    Also maybe all new builds should be built on stilts, the car, wheely bins etc could go in this space and then front gardens left as soakaways instead of being paved over.

  6. ian725 December 13, 2015 at 1:39 am - Reply

    Hilary … trouble is that Osborne is anything but stupid, he is just like his Boss and Henchman a cold, calculating, selfish ,arrogant BULLY!…… and a coward to boot just like all bullies and self preservation at all costs is the Name of their Game.

  7. Stu December 13, 2015 at 5:16 pm - Reply

    If you look even deeper due to cuts any town in your area with housing on a flood plain will have the costs of any defences or repairs paid for by the whole regions Council Tax, so regardless of whether your home is prone to flooding Osbourne has got you helping to pay for his ineptitude.

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