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• Reference: 2004/0209-1
• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 17 March 2004

What proportion of new homes envisaged for the London Thames Gateway will not be deliverable without major enhancement of flood management schemes? When can we expect to see agreement and commencement of a programme of major enhancement of flood management in the London Thames Gateway? .

• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 17 March 2004

I am sure we will all feel completely safe in the hands of developers here in London, especially putting in an environmental project that they probably do not have very much sympathy for in the first place. I just think it is incredibly premature to start planning homes, houses or buildings before we have actually had any sort of flood management assessment. I think it is expected in 2008 or 2009, the interim results are going to be in May this year, apparently, but plans are already in hand. How can you possibly do that?

• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 17 March 2004

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 17 March 2004

What you actually said to Jenny (Jones) was that the flood defences will have to be improved because of environmental factors: global warming, sinking land, and the fact that the risk will have increased by 2030. Of course, we do not just flick a switch and the risk doubles in 2030; the risk is increasing all the time incrementally towards that. But you did not say anything, with respect, about the risk management element, which has to take into account the value of what you are protecting as well as the risk of something happening. I am not convinced that...

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 17 March 2004

Nor, I assume, do you put your police stations and fire stations and hospitals and emergency services that will need to respond to a flood within the flood zone?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 17 March 2004

Is there a plan which is going to ensure all these things are placed back from the area that is potentially in danger? How do you actually, when you are doing that, speak to local residents and businesses who are in the high risk area and assure them that, just because you have not got public facilities there, that does not meant it is a no-go area?

• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 17 March 2004

Except you cannot actually roll out a Green Grid until you have got the land, and you have to have the land before any development takes place. This is not something you can impose afterwards; it has got to be there at the very beginning.

• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 17 March 2004

I did not actually hear an answer to my question in there. I did ask what proportion of new homes will not be deliverable? I have got a very pretty map here which outlines where the development is going to be along the river, and it is clear that a huge proportion of those houses and buildings are going to be on flood plains. Now, I am not the only person to be concerned about this. The Association of British Insurers (ABI) have raised concerns about the issue of insuring these homes, simply because " you talk about one in...

• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 17 March 2004

Let us talk about some of these improvements that you referred to in your opening remarks, the Green Grid for example. I understand that, not only has only a tiny percentage of the money been raised for that, but also you have not actually secured the land yet. When is all that going to happen?

• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 17 March 2004

That sounds an improvement on many previous UDCs, but how do we actually make that happen?