What is a flood map?

Flood Maps are a useful resource in the UK for identifying potential flood risk areas. The Environment provides Flood Maps to assist with making decisions about where to locate development in accordance with planning policy.

There are two primary categories of Flood Maps:

1. Flood Map for Planning: This is the official flood map that determines if a Flood Risk Assessment (FRA) should be carried out during the course of a planning application. This map categorizes land into three zones based on the likelihood of flooding from rivers and the sea.

Zone 1 (Low risk),
Zone 2 (Medium risk),
Zone 3a/3b (High risk and Functional floodplain).

2. Long Term Flood Risk Map: This map is a more detailed version of a Flood Map than the one above. It will show flood risk from surface water, groundwater, and reservoirs etc.

To see the official maps you may go to GOV.UK or alternatively see what we have provided here on our website Search by Postcode.