Environment Agency launches new flooding Action Plan

The Environment Agency has launched its annual Action Plan to help protect England from flooding and coastal erosion.

Stressing that communities, local authorities and government working together is crucial if we are to tackle the climate emergency, the Environment Agency says that measures set out in the FCERM (Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management) Strategy Action Plan will help ensure the nation is ready for, and resilient to, flooding and coastal change.

England currently remains on course for 59 per cent more winter rainfall and once-a-century sea level events every year by 2100 and major adaptation will be required to meet the changing climate picture.

Examples from the Action Plan include the Environment Agency working with the National Flood Forum to expand the network of community flood groups, the LGA and ADEPT to run workshops to help local authorities attract private sector investment and green finance as a means of improving flood and coastal resilience, and the Town and Country Planning Association to develop on-line training materials for town planners on flood risk and climate change.

Caroline Douglass, executive director, Flood and Coastal Risk Management, said: “It’s clear that the climate emergency is bringing more extreme weather and so we need to step up our efforts yet further to meet the rising flood and coastal erosion risk. By harnessing the collective power of the Environment Agency, government, all our partners and local communities, this Action Plan will help to better protect over hundreds of thousands more homes and businesses in the years ahead.”

The publication of the Action Plan comes after the Environment Agency announced that it had exceeded its target in delivering the government’s £2.6 billion investment in flood and coastal defence schemes since 2015, better protecting more than 300,000 homes.