Previously, such consultation was voluntary and often ignored, but now plans for significant housing developments on
flood plains which go against the agency's advice will be referred to the Government.
Mr Moss added: " In the past few years the technology of collecting ground data from the air has got much better with the result that the
flood plain maps are now more accurate."
Gordon O'Brien, o Fontmell Close, Walsgrave, who is chairman of the Wyken Residents' Group, said: "Gordon Brown has just announced plans to build thousands of new homes over the next few years, but when it gets to the point where they are building on
flood plains it's ridiculous.
But if someone has bought a property on a known
flood plain should the taxpayer really bail them out?
The biblical downpour broke the river Wansbeck's banks forcing 400 people to be evacuated while sustained flooding wrought havoc over 1,000 properties situated on the
flood plain. Only 62 properties survived the deluge.
What we need to do is if someone is proposing to build in a
flood plain they should be making what they are developing much more resilient against flooding.
Look at the recent floods - we recently had cars floating in the Middlesbrough College car park, another
flood plain. People may well be endangered through ambulances being held up in the traffic on Marton Road.
However, environmentalists fear that the relief road would have a negative impact on the Gwent Levels
flood plain - a site of special scientific interest.
They had made a mistake, the area was no longer a C2
flood plain and they withdrew their objections.
The Wentloog Levels site, which is supposed to be in the highly protected Gwent Levels GSSS1 and entirely within the
flood plain is also in isolated open countryside which should not be included for strategic development.
Nationally, development in the
flood plain increased by 12 per cent (210,000 properties), compared to seven per cent in the rest of England over the past ten years.