Research about social Impact of Flooding, Building regulation of flooding at King's Lynn in the UK - Case Study Example

A Research about Flood Issues at Kings Lynn in the U.K Building regulation of flooding Just after the diversion of River Great Ouse to King’s Lynn, the town developed into a port. The evidence of the development of this port can be seen with the existence of two warehouses that were constructed in the 15th century. The warehouses were used by Hanseatic League for trading. However, the harbour of this port plus the river below the Denver sluice was highly affected by silting. The silting problem was attributed to the effects of the sluice.

This silting was primarily caused by deposition of sand caused by the incoming tides (Gardine & Matthews, 2002, p. 17). As a result, Colonel John Armstrong surveyed the river in 1724 and suggested for the construction of drainage works. However, John Smeaton opposed this idea suggesting that it was important for banks to be moved inwards in order to create a narrower and fast-flowing channel. Planning Policy The eastern part of the England Region, which is among the largest English regions, has a population of about 5.

5 million people. It stretches from the northern fringe of London to the northern part of Norfolk coast. The region is includes counties of Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridge shire, Hertford shire and Bedfordshire. The East of England Regional Assembly (EERA) has the primary responsibility for the spatial planning mainly at the regional level (Gardine & Matthews, 2002, p. 21). Housing development forms the main component of urban development as well as house allocation forecasts. The allocation forecasts are for local planning authorities and sub regions.

The forecasts give an indication of areas that are likely to be hit by floods. These are likely to be constraint to growth but where there is large scale urban development, the floods are likely to cause an adverse effect. Social Impact of Flooding The coastal towns in Norfolk, Suffolk, Lincolnshire and Essex are battered when the sea waters surge into the streets. As a result, the floods cause devastating effects on people living in these areas. Emergency services always struggle to cope and many residents are displaced and forced to spend nights on rooftops as they await rescue.

In addition, as the sea level rises, the lower part of Thames estuary is always at risk of flooding. Consequently, housing, industry and farmland are destroyed (Gardine & Matthews, 2002, p. 24). Cost of damage The floods have caused serious financial damage to people living in this are. Many houses and other property costing millions of euros are always destroyed in a single flood. For example, in the 2009 flood, it destroyed over a hundred buildings in Norfolk and Essex. These buildings had an approximate value of over 20 million euros.

The flood risk Flooding of King’s Lynn region is a natural calamity that plays a crucial role in shaping the natural environment. Despite that, it causes a great risk to life and loss of property. The bigger part of this region is low lying. It therefore means that it is at risk of flooding either from river or tidal sources. The risk of flooding is an issue that needs serious planning in the process of coming up with a new development (Gardine & Matthews, 2002, p. 23). Flood defense They are basically used for protecting the area against river floods in this region.

The area is covered by around 53 flood gates. This number of flood gates ensures that the area receives high level of protection against flooding (Gardine & Matthews, 2002, p. 38). BibliographyGardine, V., & Matthews, H. (2002). The Changing Geography of the UK 3rd Edition. London: Routledge.