Milton Keynes Council has, with the assistance of our partner Risk Management Authorities, prepared a Surface Water Management Plan (SWMP). The SWMP, which covers the entire administrative area of Milton Keynes, looks to understand the causes and effects of surface water flooding and establish a starting point for a long-term preferred strategy and action plan to manage surface water risk in the most cost effective way.

Through an initial risk assessment the SWMP has identified 13 critical drainage catchments (CDCs) which represent areas or catchments across the Borough at greatest risk. Further assessment was then carried out on each CDC to look at potential measures for alleviating the surface water flood risk and options appraisals were prepared to outline the preferred site-specific, and borough wide, measures which are most viable. Utilising this information, a long-term action plan has then been established to outline the actions required to implement the preferred options for each CDC.

The final report and its associated appendices can be viewed at the following links:

• Milton Keynes Surface Water Management Plan Report 
• Milton Keynes SWMP Appendix A (Figures & Maps) 
• Milton Keynes SWMP Appendix B (Critical Drainage Catchment Maps) 
• Milton Keynes SWMP Appendix C (Options Assessment Tables) 
• Milton Keynes SWMP Appendix D (Combined Action Plan) 

The Milton Keynes Local Flood Risk Management Strategy (LFRMS) was adopted in March 2016.

The adopted LFRMS can be viewed at:

• Milton Keynes Local Flood Risk Management Strategy (2016) 

An associated document can be viewed at:

• Milton Keynes Strategic Environmental Assessment, Environmental Report (February 2016)

What is the Local Flood Risk Management Strategy?

The Flood and Water Management Act (2010), gives unitary and county councils responsibilities for leading and co-ordinating the management of local flood risk, in their role as Lead Local Flood Authority. This includes a statutory duty to develop, maintain, apply and monitor a strategy for the management of local flood risk. To this end, Milton Keynes Council in partnership with consultants AECOM and other local flood risk management authorities and partners; have prepared the Draft Milton Keynes LFRMS.

The LFRMS sets out the Council's approach to managing flood risk from local sources in both the short and long term, outlining proposals for sustainable actions that will help to manage the risk in a way that delivers the greatest benefits to the residents, businesses and environment of Milton Keynes. It also outlines how Milton Keynes Council will work with others to manage all sources of flooding within the borough and neighbouring catchments. The Strategy is accompanied by an Action Plan setting out how to deliver the objectives of the Strategy over the next six years and a Strategic Environmental Assessment assessing the impacts of the Strategy on the Environment.

The Milton Keynes Strategic Flood Risk Assessment Level 1 2015 has been produced in partnership with other Local Risk Management Authorities and partner organisations including the Environment Agency, Bedford Group of Internal Drainage Boards, Anglian Water, The Canal and River Trust and the Milton Keynes Parks Trust, all of whom provided technical advice and data to assist.

The SFRA is an evidence-based document to assist in the preparation of the Site Allocations Plan and Plan:MK. It collected existing data on all sources of flooding and mapped this information comprehensively, also providing suggested objectives to be considered and utilised in preparing planning policy.

The SFRA should also be considered in the Development Management process. 

The main document including appendices can be viewed at: Milton Keynes Level 1 Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (April 2015) (PDF, 18.9MB)

You can also view the appendices containing all mapped data independently by using the following links:

• Milton Keynes Level 1 Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (April 2015) Appendix B 
• Milton Keynes Level 1 Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (April 2015) Appendix C 
• Milton Keynes Level 1 Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (April 2015) Appendix D 

It should be noted that whilst the maps presented here were produced using the most up-to-date information at the time of production, new information and mapping often becomes available.  It is therefore recommended that when preparing an application for development, as well as utilising the SFRA maps, the Environment Agency's "Flood Map for Planning (Rivers and Sea)" and "Updated Flood Map for Surface Water" should also be consulted.

As part of Plan:MK, the Council have produced Water Cycle Study (WCS).

The WCS (2018) assesses the planned future development of the Borough, as proposed in Plan:MK, with regards to water supply capacity, wastewater capacity and environmental capacity to ensure that both the water environment and water services infrastructure has the capacity to sustain the level of growth and development proposed. Any water quality issues, associated water infrastructure upgrades, and potential constraints as a result of the proposed development have been identified and reported.

The WCS then provides information at a level suitable to demonstrate that there are workable solutions to key constraints to deliver future development for all sites (committed and allocations), including recommendations on the policy required to deliver it.

The final draft version of the WCS can be viewed here: Milton Keynes Water Cycle Study.