The effect of urban development on runoff volumes in the London Borough Barking and Dagenham

Estuarine and coastal areas have always had an issue with regard to an increased level of flood hazards. In addition, since urban developments have an impact on water runoff, future house building plans and new decisions to prevent flooding are essential. The peak rate of runoff is greater for a developed site than it was for the pre-development sit and flood recovery of developed sites requires more time. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure that future developments do not worsen flooding problems. The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham (LBBD) is an example of an area in the north-east corner of London, on the north bank of the River Thames which is currently undergoing major developments. The runoff coefficient as calculated by the Wallingford modified rational method, the geographic information system, and the core strategy in the LBBD illustrated that there was an increase in the peak runoff discharge by about 29.4% following developments. The use of sustainable urban drainage systems and other feasible mitigations such as drainage systems could reduce the risk of flooding as a result of surface water runoff.