Houses can be built on floodplains despite failing safety test, says high court
Source: Guardian Housing ↗
A High Court ruling has cleared the way for Persimmon Homes to build 190 new houses on a floodplain in north Somerset, despite the site being classified as “flood zone 3a”, the highest risk level before land is deemed a functional floodplain. The developer secured permission even though the project failed the “sequential test”, a key safeguard in UK planning policy that requires identification of less risky alternative sites; an inspector had nevertheless identified 12 such alternatives. The decision, which overturns the test’s intended barrier, has drawn sharp criticism from politicians, experts and local residents who fear the new homes will increase flood risk for surrounding properties.
The judgment has sparked an urgent campaign to amend the national planning policy framework (NPPF) to prevent similar outcomes elsewhere. Tessa Munt, chair of the Flooding and Flooded Communities All‑Party Parliamentary Group, will meet Housing and Planning Minister Matthew Pennycook to press for legislative change, arguing that the ruling exploits planning loopholes and undermines the work of insurers, lenders, Flood Re, the Environment Agency and Defra. North Somerset Council’s cabinet member for planning and environment, Annemieke Waite, condemned Persimmon’s use of the loophole, emphasizing that while the council acknowledges the need for housing, it cannot accept a precedent that allows vital environmental protections to be overridden across England and Wales.
Local opposition has been intense, with 51 residents gathering at the site on short notice to voice their concerns. Residents such as Sue Gardiner and Richard Croucher warned that the decision could render their homes uninsurable, unsellable and financially untenable, jeopardising their long‑term security and inheritance plans. They argue that the planning process, including a public inquiry, failed to protect their interests, and they fear the ruling will embolden developers to pursue speculative housing projects on flood‑prone land without adequate accountability.
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🌍World Economylow impact
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🌍 Effects for your country
The U.S.'s central bank rate currently stands at 3.75%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The U.S.'s economy is growing at 2.3% with inflation at 3.2%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the U.S.'s own central bank rate closely. With the U.S.'s unemployment at 4.4%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the U.S. depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
The UK's central bank rate currently stands at 3.75%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The UK's economy is growing at 0.8% with inflation at 3.2%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the UK's own central bank rate closely. With the UK's unemployment at 5.6%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the UK depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
France's central bank rate currently stands at 2%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. France's economy is growing at 0.9% with inflation at 1.8%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track France's own central bank rate closely. With France's unemployment at 7.9%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is already under strain. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in France depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
Romania's central bank rate currently stands at 6.5%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. Romania's economy is growing at 0.7% with inflation at 7.8%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track Romania's own central bank rate closely. With Romania's unemployment at 6%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in Romania depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
The UAE's central bank rate currently stands at 3.65%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The UAE's economy is growing at 3.1% with inflation at 2.5%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the UAE's own central bank rate closely. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the UAE depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.