Campsite operators warned of need for flood plan
© Adobe Stock Farmers operating pop-up campsites need to check for risks of flooding, the Environment Agency (EA) has warned.
Many farm businesses opened campsites to tap into the domestic holiday market which has boomed due to Covid-19.
Temporary campsites have been allowed to increase the number of days they can open following to a relaxation of Permitted Development Rights (PDRs) in 2020.
See also: How to go about diversifiying into farm pop-up campsites
These sites can operate for up to 56 days each year until the end of 2021 without requiring full planning permission, up from 28 days previously.
But with pop-up campsites not requiring the same level of planning scrutiny as permanent ones, there could be an increased risk of them being located in areas at risk of flooding.
Flood risk advice
- The EA advises farm businesses to:
- Check if they are at risk from flooding
- Sign up for free flood warnings or call Floodline on 0345 988 1188
- Follow Met Office weather warnings
- Prepare a flood plan
Phil Hulme, EA area flood manager said: “We urge all campsite owners to be aware of their responsibilities and to check their flood risk, owners should consider flood risk as seriously as fire risk.”
The EA is offering to create reports to show the flooding history of a location based either on an address or an online map. Reports will be created free provided they take less than 18 hours to produce. More information can be found on the government’s flood risk page.
Current flood risk
The five-day flood risk for England and Wales is classed as very low risk across most regions. There were no current flood warnings as of 27 July, although flood alerts remain in nine locations.
The Met Office’s state of the UK climate report shows there has been significant flooding during the past decade, and rainfall has been 12% above average levels.