Planning for floods: the role of local planning authorities in flood risk management in England.

The amount, location and type of development taking place is a key contributor to flood risk. In England, local planning authorities (LPAs) are responsible for most decisions about what development takes place and where. This article examines the role LPAs can play in flood risk management through an examination of the legal planning tools available to them when making decisions. It finds that there are a number of legal and policy barriers that limit the contribution that each of these tools can make to flood risk management and makes a number of recommendations for reforms to law and policy.