£61m of investment for more than 50 flood schemes across Cornwall and Devon
It includes the Truro Flood Risk Management Strategy - which will assess how the tide, river and surface water interact to affect flood risk
Last updated 29th Jul 2021
Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly and Devon are set to benefit from a record investment of over £61m which will go towards more than 50 flood schemes.
The Environment Agency says homes and businesses will be better protected from flooding and coastal erosion as part of the plans, with £61.8m invested in more than 50 schemes in 2021/22.
The investment is part of plans outlining £5.2 billion of investment over the next six years. More than £860 million will be spent in 2021/22 boosting design and construction of more than 1,000 schemes across England as part of the Environment Agency’s annual capital programme.
It is all part of the Flood and Coastal Erosion Investment Plan, published today, which sets out how new flood and coastal schemes will better protect 336,000 properties by 2027, helping to avoid £32 billion in wider economic damages and reducing the national flood risk by up to 11 per cent. This follows the Environment Agency’s successful delivery of the government’s previous £2.6 billion investment between 2015 and 2021, better protecting more than 314,000 homes.
New schemes include Dartmoor Headwaters, a pilot project aimed at using natural process and soft engineering techniques to reduce flood risk and the Truro Flood Risk Management Strategy which will assess how the tide, river and surface water interact to affect flood risk.
“Recent devastating flood events across Europe have thrown the spotlight starkly and irrevocably on climate change and our need to adapt. We can expect to see more instances of extreme weather bringing increases in flooding and coastal erosion.
"We know there’s a lot to do and we are already working hard locally with partners and communities to deliver the new six year programme which will bring better protection and increased resilience to almost 9,000 households in towns and villages across Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly by 2027.”
Helen Dobby, Devon, Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Director at the Environment Agency
“The tragic recent events in Germany and Belgium serve as a sobering reminder of how devastating flooding can be.
“We are standing by communities and will bolster defences against flooding across England with many thousands more properties better protected by 2027.
“It’s important we take action right across the system. Our comprehensive plan will achieve this by tightening planning procedures, helping more people access insurance and making homes more resilient to the effects of flooding.”
Environment Secretary, and Camborne and Redruth MP, George Eustice
The record yearly investment will see an extra £250 million invested in flood and coastal defences in 2021/22 compared with last year - the highest ever annual investment.
“We have seen some devastating flooding around the world so far this summer. No one can prevent all flooding and climate change means the risk is increasing, but we can reduce the risks.
“Having completed the government’s previous six year capital programme on time and on budget, better protecting more than 314,000 homes from flooding and coastal erosion, this year we began the government’s new £5.2 billion flood programme.
“These schemes should provide reassurance to communities and businesses, but no one should have a false sense of security. I strongly urge people to sign up for flood warnings and regularly check flood risk on gov.uk.”
Emma Howard Boyd, Chair of the Environment Agency
Further action on flooding
The funding will be accompanied by a consultation in the autumn, where the Government will look at how to better protect frequently flooded communities, following a call for evidence earlier this year. It will consider how to strengthen the assessment of local circumstances, such as where areas have flooded on multiple occasions, when allocating funding during the six-year plan.
The Government will bring in tighter guidance for planning authorities as part of a package of actions to better protect and prepare communities for flooding. Improvements to flood insurance to allow flooded households to claim extra money to install property flood resilience measures - like air brick covers, flood doors and flood resistant paint - and measures to tackle the risks from surface water flooding are also included in the plans.