Flooding SE1

I always thought the Tesco Metro on Tooley St was asking for trouble being in a basement space, especially as isn't that at the exact spot where a water mains has been known to blow its top on occasions?

out of interst if there was a flood would they still sound the sirens indeed do they still have them-i can remember they used to try them out every so often when i was a kid and it was quite spooky but when the barrier went in we were all safe and it stopped

boroughonian wrote:

My friend moved into a groung level flat Downtown (redriff rd rotherhithe)a few years back and all of his electrical sockets are waist high,those in the above floors were usual height,we could only assume this was because of potential flooding from the (very close)river.

No this is more to do with building regs so that they are accessible to people in wheelchairs. Had discussion with building reg controller a few years back as to whether this was relevant when refurbishing our basement given that it would be impossible to get down there in a wheel chair as it is an old property.

Makes sense Jac,cheers.

also easier for the staff to plug the iron or vacuum cleaner in without bending down.

What Jac describes is what has tended to happen in ground floor social housing for quite some time now. It's nothing to do with the regs (or flood risks) and everything to do with providers generally prioritising ground floor accommodation for disabled residents and modifying it appropriately.

If you want to see where designing for flooding goes try Venice. Where electical sockets and the rest are there is all defined by acua alta. Everything below that level is done to standards that mean it can be submerged repeatedly without a problem. In any building that might be 5mm above floor or 500mm or 1500mm. Essentially, it's all hose downable below that level and if there isn't a door to outside there is always a drawont float away or rust or whatever. The result is that a restaurant can be flooded waist deep at breakfast time and yet be open for lunch.

boroughbloke wrote:

What Jac describes is what has tended to happen in ground floor social housing for quite some time now. It's nothing to do with the regs (or flood risks) and everything to do with providers generally prioritising ground floor accommodation for disabled residents and modifying it appropriately.

I am reliably told it IS part M of building regs which addresses accessibility.

Part M does say this, but most houses - including new ones being built right now -don't comply with part M on any level and they don't need to unless they are being designed for disabled residents. If they did then all new homes would be single storey and all of them above (or below) ground floor would have lifts. Clearly they do not. Moreover, they certainly don't include accessible bathrooms and toilets complete with grab rails, shower seats, and a drain in the floor. In this instance Part M will have been applied when the property was being rewired in order to make it possible to assign the property to a disabled occupant (this is what I suggested). This may not have included an accessible bathroom, but they will likely not have done that unless the property actually was being assigned to a disabled resident because non disabled reidents don't appreciate having a bathless gymnasium.

just would like to invite you to see the following risk of flooding

Well Im a basement dweller so I'll better get myself a lifejacket