A major flooding programme will be officially announced by government this week, with a record £7.9bn committed over ten years to protect ‘hundreds of thousands of homes’, small businesses, and vital infrastructure from the growing threat of flooding.
From high-performance flood barriers to nature-based solutions like wetland restoration, the programme will aim to deliver long-term protection for communities as part of the government’s Plan for Change.
This comes as the government gears up to announcing its landmark Infrastructure Strategy.
In the Spending Review last week, the government also confirmed that £4.2bn will be spent on the flooding programme over the next three years (2026/7 to 2028/9), which will be focused on both capital and resources such as building new defences and repairing and maintaining existing ones.
Alongside this, the Government launched a consultation on new proposals to introduce a simplified approach to bid for government funding for flood defences.
Philip Duffy, chief executive at the Environment Agency, said: “As our changing climate continues to bring more extreme weather to the nation, it’s never been more vital to invest in new flood defences and repair our existing assets.
“This long-term investment will be welcome news for businesses and homeowners, who have too often faced the destructive nature of flooding. Our priority will continue to be working with the government and local authorities to ensure as many properties are protected as possible.”
The investment will also continue the government’s plans to protect cities and towns from the devastating impacts of floodings, including from Oxford to Portsmouth and up to Derby and Blackpool.
Russell Garnett, head of environmental consultancy at built environment consultancy Hollis, commented: “The government has pledged a record £7.9bn to improve flood defences over the next ten years, but it is critical that this goes towards maintaining existing defences, not just building new ones.
“Equally important is making the right changes. You can put up all the barriers you want, but if you don’t fully understand each specific asset and changing flood risk, it’s just money down the drain.”
