University professor to influence flooding policy

Professor David ProverbsA University of Wolverhampton professor is set to influence future policies on flooding through his contribution to a national Government report.
 
Flood damage expert Professor David Proverbs was invited to make a submission to the Pitt Review on the 2007 summer floods.
 
Sir Michael Pitt, Independent Chair of the Review, produced an interim report setting out recommendations and initial findings based on evidence from the public, businesses, emergency responders, local authorities and other stakeholders.
 
Professor Proverbs said he welcomed the opportunity to contribute to the report which will influence Government policy and future legislation.
 
“This is a great opportunity to be part of a process which could result in quite comprehensive and radical changes to the way we plan for and respond to flooding in the future,” he said.
 
“One of the areas we have been championing is the opportunity to look at preventative measures for the future during the reinstatement process after flooding has occurred. This will mitigate the extent of damage from similar events in the future.
 
“There is also a need to tighten-up planning systems which currently allow for new development to take place in flood risk zones without any requirement for resilience measures to be built in at the outset.”
 
He added: “There is still a lot to do in terms of raising awareness of the risk of flooding and innovative solutions to education of the at-risk public may be needed. There also needs to be a single point of responsibility for flood management so that we can respond more effectively to events.”
 
The final Pitt Review document is due to be published later this year..
 
Professor Proverbs, Head of Construction and Infrastructure at the University’s School of Engineering and the Built Environment, published a report looking at industry standards, Flood Damage Property – A Guide to Repair, giving useful guidelines. He is currently looking into community wide resilience to extreme weather events as part of a £1.6m research programme for the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

Further information

  • Professor David Proverbs has undertaken numerous research projects, both for industry and the government and has undertaken a range of media work on the subject of flooding for both TV and radio.
  • Areas of research specialism include international benchmarking; construction productivity; contractor performance; flood damage assessment and flood repair; and satisfaction issues.
  • Damage Property – A Guide to Repair is published by Blackwell.

Please contact Emma Kilvert in the press office on 01902 322003 for more information

Ref: 4165/01/04/08/EK
Date issued: Tuesday 1 April 2008
Order a prospectusTuition fees for 2013Scholarships 2013Graduate to Great Apply to us21 and proud