Environment Agency: 300,000 homes protected from flooding

The Environment Agency and partners have completed more than 700 projects to better protect more than 300,000 homes since 2015.

Exceeding its target in delivering the government’s £2.6 billion investment in flood and coastal defense schemes since 2015, the Environment Agency and partners have completed more than 700 projects to better protect more than 300,000 homes, nearly 600,000 acres of agricultural land, thousands of businesses and major pieces of infrastructure.

The milestone was reached with the completion of the Hull: Humber Frontages scheme, a £42 million project which will better protect the city of Hull from the devastation of tidal surges which caused flooding to hundreds of properties in 2013.

The delivery of the nation’s new defenses, which has continued through lockdown with Covid-secure working arrangements, will not only help to save the economy more than £28 billion in avoided damages over the lifetime of defense assets, but also provide reassurance and peace of mind for communities and encourage economic growth.

The successful delivery of the program comes ahead of the start of the record £5.2 billion investment in 2,000 new flood and coastal defenses between 2021 and 2027.

Work is already under way on the delivery of some of the 2,000 new flood and coastal defenses that will better protect a further 336,000 properties from flooding and coastal erosion by 2027, which will also see the implementation of the Environment Agency’s Flood and Coastal Risk Management Strategy.

Alongside building new defenses, the strategy sets out how the Environment Agency and partners will work to make communities more resilient to the effects of climate change, ensuring they are better prepared for when flooding sadly hits, and able to recover quickly. It will also ensure a greater use of nature to reduce flood risk.