The next step

To GOV.UK's flood risk site

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To the long-term investment report

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It is time to plan for future floods?

What the future holds

Between now and 2021 the Environment Agency (EA) will have invested £2.6 billion in projects that protect homes and businesses from floods and the impact of coastal erosion. It says the money will protect more than 300,000 properties. For example, the Salford flood storage project cost £10 million and opened in 2018. It is designed to protect 2,000 homes and businesses.

The EA has just published a new evidence document to help local authorities and businesses prepare for the impact of flooding (see The next step ).

What does it say?

This document draws up a number of scenarios based on the likely impact of climate change, population changes and mapping data to predict how bad flooding might be in certain areas across England and what long-term investment might be needed to prevent it from happening over the next 50 years.

The EA says that without sustained investment damage caused to properties and infrastructure will significantly increase in the coming years. It estimates that an average annual investment of £1 billion will be required as we head towards 2065.

The population continues to grow and the EA predicts that the number of properties on flood plains will almost double over the next 50 years. The good news is that the overall benefit-to-cost ratio is nine to one. So for every £1 spent on flood defences, £9 is saved in having to pay for property repairs, as well as the wider economic impacts.

What does this mean for business?

Measures needed include building and maintaining large-scale engineered defences and using natural flood management techniques, such as planting trees to slow the flow of water. There are also a number of property flood-resilience measures that can be installed in buildings.

Tip. The best thing you can do is make your local council and planning authority aware of the risks that you face on your premises. Record any issues you may have with local rivers or infrastructure that are under pressure due to flood risk. State the likely economic impact on your business - both during a flood and in the aftermath. The authorities can use this evidence to find the investment needed to make changes, either to your property or in the surrounding area.

Note. The government’s Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy is due to be published in late 2019. This will contain more detail as to when and where the money will be spent, and on what projects. We will update you when this document is published.

Tip. If you haven’t done so already, use the government’s flood risk assessment website to identify whether your premises may be at risk (see The next step ). The maps and guidance identify where flooding could occur.

For a link to the long-term investment report and to the government flood website, visit http://tipsandadvice-environment.co.uk/download (EN 14.02.06).