Repeatedly flooded communities are set to receive enhanced flood protection, as part of the government’s new Frequently Flooded Allowance.
It was announced last week by Rebecca Pow, the Minister for Environmental Quality and Resilience, that £100 million has been set aside to better protect areas of the country that repeatedly experience flooding.
Discussing the Frequently Flooded Allowance, Pow said: “We know only too well the devastating impact that flooding can have on communities and businesses, as we face more extreme weather brought about by climate change.
“This much-needed funding will go a long way to support those whose homes and livelihoods are repeatedly threatened by flooding and forms a key part of our record £5.2 billion investment by 2027 to protect communities in England better.”
Who Will Benefit from the Frequently Flooded Allowance?
Communities where ten or more properties have flooded at least twice in the last ten years, will be the primary target for governmental support.
The first tranche of funds from the Frequently Flooded Allowance has already been allocated, with 53 projects granted a total of £26 million, reinforcing protection for over 2,300 businesses and households.
In recent years, significant damage has been inflicted upon buildings and infrastructure in Cumbria (Storm Desmond in 2015 and Storm Ciara in 2020) and Worcestershire (Storm Christoph in 2021).
“Increased flooding is just one of the impacts of climate change we are seeing in the UK and around the world” said Caroline Douglass, Executive Director for Flood and Coastal Risk Management at the Environment Agency.
Continuing, Douglass remarked that “protecting people and communities is our top priority as we look to tackle this challenge.”
Projects to receive funding through the Frequently Flooded Allowance will improve resilience via a combination of hard engineering flood defences and natural flood management measures.
Moreover, the allowance will support the installation of property flood resilience measures, such as flood doors and barriers, so that businesses and households can access flood protection when traditional defence schemes are not viable in their area.
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