To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) houses and (b) businesses were built on a floodplain in each of the last six years.

The estimated number of homes built in flood risk areas in England in the last six years for which data is available are listed in the following table:

No information is available on the number of businesses built-in such areas.

The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding should be avoided. Local planning authorities should direct development away from areas at highest risk, including floodplains, but where development is necessary, it must be demonstrated that it is safe and will not increase flood risk elsewhere.