Although 10 per cent of Britain's land, including 10 Downing Street, lies within flood risk areas, the government’s housing green paper scheduled for publication today is expected to say it is unrealistic to avoid any development in such areas.
It will also suggest that the problem can be made worse by the planning system and inappropriate development.

The paper's rejection of calls to stop building houses on flood plains is expected, despite recent flooding.

The Environment Agency has issued 11 severe flood warnings for the Midlands alone, and has issued warnings for Oxfordshire, Berkshire and London after some regions received more than three months' rain in 24 hours.

Liz Peace, chief executive of the British Property Federation, said: 'It is impossible to remove all flood risk from our towns and it's important to remember that much of the flooding over the last few days has occurred in historic town centres, not on newly developed flood plains.

Proposed development must be carefully scrutinised by local planning authorities and other experts, such as the Environment Agency. They must take account of flood risk and where that risk is unacceptably high, either ameliorating measures (such as flood defences) need to be put on place or the development should not be allowed.

'At the end of the day, a planning authority, and the Planning Inspectorate, can say no and where a landowner or developer keeps pressing unreasonably for unsuitable development, they should continue to say no.'

Businesses as well as homes are left counting the cost of the damage caused by the recent flooding.

Expert advice and support is being offered to flood-hit businesses in the Midlands by Business Link West Midlands. The new service, which aims to assist 16,000 companies between now and 2010, is sending its team of advisers out into the most affected areas of Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire through a series of one-on-one reviews and specialist business clinics.

It is anticipated that over 1000 companies - including heating and ventilating manufacturers and wholesalers, would have been hit by the severe UK's weather conditions, with many sites flooded, transport disrupted and huge levels of stock damaged.

More than 50 advisors from the organization are on hand to advise companies affected by the floods. The service offers a business review to see how they could return to normal or advice on how to alleviate this problem in the future.

The flooding might even have prompted some organisations to look at their operations and where they want to be in the future. Business Link West Midlands has experience in helping companies through extremely difficult circumstances, with its staff giving advice during the 'Foot and Mouth' crisis.

To contact Business Link West Midlands call 0845 113 1234.