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Strategic Flood Risk Assessment

Published: Tuesday August 4, 2026

A Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA) has been carried out for Swale Borough Council by JBA Consulting.

The SFRA will be used to:

  • inform the plan-making process, in particular the choice of allocations, following the sequential approach
  • assist Development Management decisions
  • assist Developers in the preparation of Flood Risk Assessments
  • help prioritise and target improvements to flood defences and prepare for flood emergencies

What does the SFRA comprise?

The main report and the Appendices can be found here:

Swale Borough Council Level 1 SFRA - Main Report v5 July 2026 (PDF 3.83MB)

Appendix A - Historic Flooding v1 November 2025 (PDF 3.3MB)

Appendix B - Watercourses v2 April 2026 (PDF 3.84MB)

Appendix C.1 - Present Day Flooding Risk from Rivers and Sea - Flood Zones v3 April 2026 (PDF 13.39MB)

Appendix C.2 Present Day Flooding Risk from Rivers (detailed river models v2 February 2026 (PDF 3.58MB)

Appendix C3 Present Day Flood Risk from the Sea - North Kent Coast model v1 November 2026 (PDF 3.32MB)

Appendix D1 Future Flood Risk from Rivers and Sea v2, April 2026 (PDF 12.06MB)

Appendix D2 Future Flood Risk from Rivers detailed river models v1 November 2025 (PDF 3.47MB) 

Appendix D3 Future Flood Risk from the Sea - North Kent Coast model v2 February 2026 (PDF 3.43MB)

Appendix E Risk of Flooding from Surface Water v1 November 2025 (PDF 61.43MB)

Appendix F JBA Groundwater Flood Map v1 November 2025 (PDF 3.98MB)

Appendix G Risk of Flooding from Reservoirs v2 April 2026 (PDF 9.58MB)

Appendix H1 Flood Defences v2 April 2026 (PDF 3.13MB)

Appendix H2 EA Flood Defences Types v2 April 2026 (PDF 35.37MB)

Appendix H3 EA Flood Defences Standard of Protection v2 April 2026 (PDF 37.71MB)

Appendix H4  EA Flood Defence Condition v2 April 2026 (PDF 38.76MB)

Appendix I Flood Alert and Flood Warning Areas v1 November 2025 (PDF 3.29MB)

Appendix J1 Coastal Change Management Area Methodology v4 June 2026 (PDF 3.29MB)

Appendix J2 Coastal Change Management Area v4 June 2026 (PDF 3.89MB)

Appendix K Swale SFRA Site Screening v4 July 2026 (Excel 378kb)

Appendix L Sequential Test Dataset Guidance Document v12 July 2026 (PDF 329kb)

Appendix M Data Sources v3 April 2026 (PDF 119kb)

Appendix N MEAS Contribution Zones v2 July 2026 (PDF 5.78MB)

SFRA Maps

With the exception of Appendix F, the SFRA maps are available on the council's public facing interactive map.

Swale Level 2 SFRA

A Level 2 SFRA is a detailed assessment of flood risk, required when there are potential Local Plan allocations that can only be placed in areas of medium or high flood risk. It is used to inform the Exception Test.

The Level 2 SFRA consists of:

  1. The Swale Level 2 Scoping Report (PDF 195KB) and Appendix A (Scoping) (XLSX 68kb). (The Level 2 Scoping Report examines 72 sites identified by the Council to potentially be taken forward within the Local Plan and determines which of the sites need to be carried forward to a full Level 2 SFRA.)
  2. The Draft Swale Level 2 Strategic Flood Risk Assessment Main Report (October 2026) (PDF 939KB), with Appendix A (Site Summaries) and Appendix B (Data Sources) (PDF 103KB):

Appendix A:

DISCLAIMER:  Local Plan evidence produced by consultants is published here for information only and does not replace the need for individuals and organisations to carry out their own official searches and evidence gathering.

For queries about any of this information please email.

Swale's Interactive Map

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