July 2020 New Policy Statement published by Government on flood and coastal erosion

This Summer the Government has published its Flood and coastal erosion risk management Policy Statement and the Environment Agency has published its National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy for England. Announcing £170 million to accelerate the building of 22 flood schemes across the country – on top of the £5.2 billion investment to build 2,000 new flood defences over the next 6 years, the overriding emphasis is on harnessing the power of nature to reduce flood and coastal erosion risk and achieve multiple benefits.

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In the 2020 Budget the Government promised to reduce national flood risk by up to 11% by 2027, and better protect 336,000 properties, with £5.2 billion of capital funding to create around 2,000 new flood and coastal defences and support to help households and businesses get back on their feet more quickly after flooding.

The Environment Agency’s Strategy presents an opportunity to create climate resilient places that facilitates a greener, cleaner, and more resilient future, with three core ambitions concerning future risk and investment needs:

1. Climate resilient places: working with partners to bolster resilience to flooding and coastal change across the nation, both now and in the face of climate change

2. Today’s growth and infrastructure resilient in tomorrow’s climate: Making the right investment and planning decisions to secure sustainable growth and environmental improvements, as well as resilient infrastructure.

3. A nation ready to respond and adapt to flooding and coastal change: Ensuring local people understand their risk to flooding and coastal changes

The new strategic way of working will now include delivering practical and innovative actions that help to bolster resilience to flood and coastal change in local places, and will focus on making greater use of nature-based solutions that take a catchment led approach to managing the flow of water to improve resilience to both floods and droughts.

Read the publications in full here:

Flood and coastal erosion risk management Policy Statement  https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/903705/flood-coastal-erosion-policy-statement.pdf

National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy for England https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/899498/National_FCERM_strategy_for_England.pdf