Flood Risk Sequential Test for Northumberland — £300, Delivered in 24 Hours

Flood Risk Sequential Test

£300

Delivered within 24 hours of payment

Tests whether reasonably available sites at lower flood risk exist across the area of search, with a clear pass or fail and the evidence behind it.

Alternatives Assessment

£300

Delivered within 24 hours of payment

A ranked list of reasonably available alternative sites for your development type, without a pass/fail verdict.

Exception Test

£450

Delivered within 48 hours of payment

Where NPPF Annex F requires it, the Exception Test case: wider sustainability benefits and how the development will be safe for its lifetime, drawing on your flood risk assessment.

Sequential Test + Exception Test

£750

Delivered within 48 hours of payment

Both tests prepared together, for sites where the Exception Test applies.

Plot your site

Choose the service, tell us what you're proposing and draw your site boundary on the map. It takes about three minutes.

We confirm and send a payment link

We check the site is in Northumberland and that the test applies, then email a payment link, usually within one business day.

Receive your report

Your report is delivered within 24 hours of payment (48 hours for the Exception Test), ready to submit with your application.

What is a flood risk Sequential Test?

The Sequential Test is required by national planning policy to steer new development to areas at the lowest risk of flooding. It asks whether there are reasonably available sites, appropriate for the proposed development, in areas at lower flood risk than the application site. If there are, the development should not be permitted on the higher-risk site.

When do I need a Sequential Test in Northumberland?

Northumberland County Council will normally ask for a Sequential Test where development is proposed in Flood Zone 2 or 3. River flooding has affected towns including Morpeth on the Wansbeck, Hexham and Corbridge on the Tyne and Rothbury on the Coquet, and the coast from Blyth to Berwick is exposed to tidal flooding and storm surges. Some minor development and changes of use are exempt. If you are unsure, choose 'Not sure — advise me' and we'll confirm before you pay.

What is the Exception Test?

Depending on the flood zone and the vulnerability of the development (NPPF Annex F), the Exception Test may also be required after the Sequential Test is passed. It must show that the development would provide wider sustainability benefits to the community that outweigh the flood risk, and that it will be safe for its lifetime without increasing flood risk elsewhere. Our Sequential Test report tells you whether it applies. We prepare the Exception Test as a separate fixed-fee report.

What is an alternatives assessment?

An alternatives assessment ranks the reasonably available sites for your type of development across the area of search, without a pass or fail verdict. It is useful at site-finding stage, or where the council has asked for evidence of alternative sites without a formal Sequential Test.

What area of search do you use?

National policy says the area of search should reflect the catchment for the type of development and the need it serves. Northumberland is a large, largely rural county, so a whole-county search is rarely the catchment of a housing scheme: a narrower area matching the delivery area, town or village the scheme serves is usually more defensible. We explain and justify the area of search in the report.

What happens after I submit my site?

We check that the site is within Northumberland County Council's area and that the test is needed, then email you a payment link. No payment is taken on this website. Your report is delivered within 24 hours of payment, or 48 hours for the Exception Test. Reports set out the data sources and dataset dates used, and the local planning authority makes the final decision.

Can you do Sequential Tests outside Northumberland?

Yes. We offer the same fixed fee in Bristol, Manchester, Birmingham, Chelmsford, Gateshead, Tameside, Runnymede, East Riding of Yorkshire, Wigan, York, Spelthorne, Oxford, Plymouth, Lichfield, Dover, Hull, Medway and Lewes District. For sites elsewhere, contact us for a quote. Northumberland National Park has its own planning authority and is not covered by this service.