Environmental Expert claims radical new rethink needed on developments to prevent flooding
Press release by Pauline Rowson, Rowmark Ltd.
Hydro-ecology expert Ron Allen of Petersfield based company The Environmental Project Consulting Group is experiencing a 75 per cent increase in business as his expertise becomes more in demand because of the increasing concern regarding flooding and wetlands in the south and south east of England.
The Environmental Project Consulting Group are handling a range of projects from sites based in East Sussex to Dorset and to the Test Valley. The company is increasingly being called in by property developers who now have to satisfy planners about the risk of flooding.
Mr Allen says "Over the years, developments have gone ahead with little thought given to how wet the land is. Housing and industrial premises have been built on flood plains and other wet places. With changing weather patterns, flooding could become a recurrent problem. We need to minimise the risk of flooding by making sure we build in the right places."
Mr Allen also advises organisations like English Nature and the Wildlife Trusts on how developments will affect wetland habitats. He runs courses on helping to assess the impact of development proposals on the wetland areas in Southern England and is a recognised expert in the UK.
He says, "Not only is there the increased risk of flooding but there are also threats to the wildlife habitats from developments which affect rivers and streams, ponds and lakes, fens and reed beds and the vast network of ditches, drains and marshy areas which are home to many common and rare birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and insects."
Planning applications need to be very carefully scrutinised to ensure that all effects on the environment and surrounding countryside are fully considered. He adds, "Almost any development will interfere with the eco-system and where water and wetlands are concerned this is of critical importance."
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