Investment in flood defences will need to almost double to £1bn a year by 2035 to protect England from increased flood risk, the Environment Agency (EA) has calculated.
In its Long term investment strategy for England report, the EA says a steady increase in investment will be vital to protect against rising sea levels, more rapid rates of coastal erosion, and increasingly-severe and frequent rainstorms, due to climate change. It estimates that spending on surface water flooding should increase six-fold to £150M a year by 2035.
Robert Runcie, the agency’s head of flood management, said the debate ‘now needs to enter where that additional funding is going to come from’.
‘Local beneficiaries may want to make a contribution to speed the reduction of risk for their interest – whether it be households, businesses or wider community areas,’ he told Surveyor.
He said the £150M surface water calculation might be an under-estimate. ‘The six local authorities piloting surface water-management schemes will help determine how realistic that figure is going to be, and then how that funding can be brought together,’ he added.
The EA has calculated that the damage avoided through its investment proposals could save England some £180bn over the next 100 years.
Chairman, Lord Chris Smith, said: ‘Our 25-year flood and coastal risk Long term investment strategy for England report presents some important choices for the Government, local authorities, developers and others to consider. The latest UK climate change data shows the risk of flooding and coastal erosion will continue to increase in future, due to rising sea levels and more frequent and heavy storms, and there are important decisions for us all to take about how to manage these risks to protect people, communities, businesses and the economy in future.’
The report reveals that Kingston upon Hull and the East riding of Yorkshire councils have the largest total number of properties at risk of flooding, but Boston and North Somerset have a higher proportion of properties in areas of significant flood risk – more than 20,000 each.
Runcie said the biggest challenge for local authorities was tackling the risks associated with the existing built environment.
The agency has also revealed that more than 430,000 people in flood risk areas have now signed up to its flood warnings service.
Long term investment strategy for England
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