Catchment flood management plans and the modelling and decision support framework

Catchment-wide flood management plans are now being prepared for all 80 catchments in England and Wales. They aim to provide the basis for sustainable flood management policies within each catchment over the next 50 years and serve as a framework for the future management of risks. This paper describes the background to the catchment flood management plans and the principles involved. It also reviews a specially tailored modelling and decision support framework that has been set up to automate the key steps in the catchment planning process, thus ensuring consistency between plans and value for money.