Flooding
The Green Party’s flooding policy is one that protects communities from the effects of flooding, while having regard to our duty to protect ecosystems. Achieving this requires adopting a holistic approach to flood management that includes prevention and mitigation through nature based solutions, urban design, and defensive measures for areas already at risk.
The approach to flooding needs to be on a catchment-wide basis, using upstream land to provide storage of stormwater runoff and adopting nature-based solutions to manage river catchments.
Adopt Water Sensitive Urban Design principles for public realm projects in towns and cities.
Use “grey” infrastructure (such as flood walls, pipes, culverts) for flood defences only where necessary.
Develop a warning system for floods that includes increasing the number of sensors measuring rainfall, river water levels, and localized alert notifications.
Initiate a programme raise awareness and educate individuals and businesses in flood risk areas about actions they can take in advance of flooding, to mitigate the risk.
Develop a strategy of “building back better” to improve resilience after a flood occurs.
Policy revised: September 2025
