The Strategic Planning and Placemaking team is responsible for the delivery of sustainable development within the Borough. They are also responsible for ensuring development is delivered in compliance with the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) (gov.uk). The NPPF provides the directive for ensuring flooding is adequately considered in the delivery of development.
Certain areas of Stafford Borough are at risk from flooding. The Council is required to consider the water environment and flood risk at all stages of the planning process. We have been working with other Staffordshire Councils to prepare the Southern Staffordshire Councils Water Cycle Study – Phase 1 Scoping Report (pdf 7.5mb), which was published in February 2020. Further work will be progressed when site options are identified for Stafford Borough through the New Local Plan 2020-2040.
For planning applications within flood zones 2 and 3 (the areas most likely to flood), the Council requires a “sequential test” to be completed, including consideration of a range of alternative sites. The applicant must show how alternative sites outside flood zones 2 and 3 have been considered and why the application site is considered suitable.
The Council has produced a Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA) (pdf 15mb). This document has been jointly produced with Lichfield District, South Staffordshire and Cannock Chase Councils.
The purpose of an SFRA is to assess and map all forms of flood risk from groundwater, surface water, sewer and river sources, taking into account future climate change predictions, and use this as an evidence base to locate future development in low flood risk areas.
Appendix A - Geo Maps A1-D4
You will need to download and open Appendix A documents A1 - D4 in Adobe Acrobat as they comprise interactive elements.
- A1 Stafford Borough north (pdf 6mb)
- A2 Stafford Borough north (pdf 4mb)
- B1 Stafford Borough northwest - Eccleshall Ward (pdf 4mb)
- B2 Stafford Borough north - Stone, Yarnfield and surrounding (pdf 6mb)
- B3 Stafford Borough northwest - Stone, Fulford and Milwich wards (pdf 6mb)
- C1 Stafford Borough west - Rural Eccleshall and Gnosall wards (pdf 5mb)
- C2 Stafford Borough - Stafford, Gnosall and Eccleshall (pdf 7mb)
- C3 Stafford Borough east - Stafford, Colwich, Weston and Hixon (pdf 7mb)
- C4 Stafford Borough east, Lichfield District northwest - Rural area (pdf 6mb)
- D1 Stafford Borough southwest, South Staffs northwest - Rural areas (pdf 5.5mb)
- D2 Stafford Borough and South Staffs District - west of Penkridge and Stafford (pdf 6.5mb)
- D3 Cannock, Penkridge and Cannock Chase (pdf 6.5mb)
- D4 East Cannock, Rugeley, Handsacre and King Bromley (pdf 7mb)
Appendix B - Data Sources used in SFRA (pdf 15mb)
Appendix D4 - Summary of flood risk in Stafford Borough (pdf 229mb)
Stafford Site Screening (pdf 50mb)
Previous SFRA - June 2014