Wickham Hall
The Brief
RIDA Reports was appointed by The PCC of St John’s Church to provide a detailed flood risk assessment for Wickham Hall, located in Bovey Tracey. The proposed development involves the alteration of access to the rear of the existing community hall and the construction of a new lobby area.
Why the Client Chose RIDA
The client required specialist expertise to evaluate the site’s flood risk and formulate a compliant drainage strategy. RIDA was selected to ensure the proposed alterations met the stringent requirements of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and local planning policies, ensuring all potential flood risks were managed appropriately to support the planning application.
The Challenge
Although the site is situated in Flood Zone 1 with a very low risk of fluvial, surface water, and groundwater flooding, it lies within a designated Critical Drainage Area. The primary challenge was ensuring the new development would not increase surface water run-off. Strict local drainage standards required that any off-site surface water discharges mimic greenfield performance up to a 1 in 10-year event, and be safely managed on-site up to a 1 in 100-year storm event including climate change allowances.
The RIDA Difference
RIDA produced a detailed flood risk assessment and an integrated drainage strategy tailored to the site’s specific constraints. Following the SuDS hierarchy, our team specified a cellular infiltration system (soakaway) beneath a landscaped area to attenuate flows and safely manage the additional impermeable area created by the new lobby. By calculating the peak discharge rates and required attenuation volumes, we ensured surface water could be effectively controlled at the source. The assessment successfully demonstrated that the proposal would safely manage surface water without impeding water flows or increasing flood risk elsewhere.
The Outcome
The comprehensive assessment demonstrated full compliance with the NPPF and local flood risk management strategies. The implemented SuDS drainage solutions successfully ensured no increase in surface water run-off, bringing a positive contribution to the Critical Drainage Area. The report provided robust evidence to support the planning application by confirming the development is safe for its intended use.