Keywords cellular automata flood model; decision support; 2D flood modelling; flood risk management; surface water management plan; urban flooding. Correspondence AbstractThis research evaluates performance of a rapid assessment framework for screening surface water flood risk in urban catchments. Recent advances in modelling have developed fast and computationally efficient cellular automata frameworks which demonstrate promising utility for increasing available evidence to support surface water management, however, questions remain regarding trade-offs between accuracy and speed for practical application. This study evaluates performance of a rapid assessment framework by comparing results with outputs from an industry standard hydrodynamic model using a case study of St Neots in Cambridgeshire, UK. Results from the case study show that the rapid assessment framework is able to identify and prioritise areas of flood risk and outputs flood depths which correlate above 97% with the industry standard approach. In theory, this finding supports a simplified representation of catchments using cellular automata, and in practice presents an opportunity to apply the framework to develop evidence to support detailed modelling.This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

This paper discusses the approach, challenges and outcomes of delivering a water-sensitive urban design, incorporating comprehensive sustainable drainage systems (SuDS), for a major eco-town in Oxfordshire, UK. The 406 ha North West Bicester development is the UK's first eco-town, involving 6000 new homes and associated social, commercial and environmental infrastructure. A key challenge was to deliver the government's ambitious criteria for eco-towns while working in a large multi-disciplinary setting with the public and other stakeholders. The key aims of the project are to respond to climate change, create enjoyable and liveable cities, promote healthy lifestyles, design multi-functional and interconnected green infrastructure, reduce flood risk and maximise multiple benefits. Common barriers to the uptake of SuDS include limited evidence in quantification of economic benefits along with maintenance concerns. This paper demonstrates that the initial 17·5 ha of the exemplar site, comprising 393 homes, will deliver natural capital benefits of £307 550 per year from the proposed SuDS, thus highlighting economic benefits and easing maintenance concerns.

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