Houses can be built on floodplains despite failing safety test, says high court
Locals at the site of the floodplain in the village of Yatton, north Somerset. Photograph: Jim Wileman/The GuardianView image in fullscreenLocals at the site of the floodplain in the village of Yatton, north Somerset. “Tragically, we’ve lost the battle in north Somerset, but we need to change the framework as a matter of urgency, so this ruling doesn’t result in planners and developers across the country making similar speculative housing applications.”View image in fullscreenA sign in the village of Yatton, north Somerset.
- ▪Locals at the site of the floodplain in the village of Yatton, north Somerset.
- ▪Photograph: Jim Wileman/The GuardianView image in fullscreenLocals at the site of the floodplain in the village of Yatton, north Somerset.
- ▪“Tragically, we’ve lost the battle in north Somerset, but we need to change the framework as a matter of urgency, so this ruling doesn’t result in planners and developers across the country making similar speculative housing applications.”V
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| Original publisher | The Guardian — UK |
| Canonical URL | https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/sep/27/high-court-floodplains-development-safety-test-north-somerset-yatton |
| Publication time | Sun, 27 Sep 2026 11:48:47 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-09-27T11:55:41.046Z |
| Last seen | 2026-09-27T11:55:41.046Z |
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| Summary source text | contentText |
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| Cluster | X0NgRzdjzfvG · 1 stories |
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| Ranking reason | Story pages are not engagement-ranked. Hub feeds use recency, with optional source-diversified chronological ordering (cap consecutive stories per source). No personalized ranking. |
| Publisher visit | Yes — open original |
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| Retrieval / RAG | May the content be exposed for third-party retrieval-augmented generation? | Not asserted |
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Locals at the site of the floodplain in the village of Yatton, north Somerset. Photograph: Jim Wileman/The GuardianView image in fullscreenLocals at the site of the floodplain in the village of Yatton, north Somerset. Photograph: Jim Wileman/The GuardianPlanning policyHouses can be built on floodplains despite failing safety test, says high courtDecision to allow development of 190 new homes in north Somerset sparks campaign for change in the lawAmelia HillSun 27 Sep 2026 07.48 EDTLast modified on Sun 27 Sep 2026 07.49 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleHouses can be built on floodplains even if they fail a crucial safety test, according to a high court judgment that will be of “immense interest” to developers across England and Wales.The ruling clears the way for a highly controversial…
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