Flood plain zoning – This is a way of organising flood defences and ensuring that land which often floods is not built on

NOTE: This land could be used for pastoral farming and playing fields.

Floods occur here, plain and simple, so this zone (flood plain zoning) must not be built on.

Flood plain zoning is a system for setting the level of flooding risk for different areas of a country. Governments can then make laws regarding development work in the different zones.

For instance, in the UK, the Environment Agency has divided areas into three main zones: 1, 2 and 3. Flood zone 1 covers areas least likely to flood, and flood zone 3 is for areas where flooding is most likely.

This means that in zone 1, there are very few if any restrictions on development relating to flooding; in zones 2 and 3, prospective developers must submit a flood risk assessment before a planning application can be considered.

The types of development that can be carried out in zones 2 and 3 are strictly controlled.