(Photo credit: Cumbria - Johnny Kidd, West Cumbria Rivers Trust)
Over the last 3 years we have worked in partnership with lead local flood authorities and other partners to develop Flood Risk Management Plans (FRMPs). Today we have published them (here)
At least one in six people in England are at risk from flooding from rivers and the sea with many more at risk from surface water flooding. With a rapidly changing climate, adapting what we do and improving our overall resilience is more important than ever before.
As Executive Director of Flood and Coastal Risk Management in the Environment Agency, my focus is working with a wide a range of partners to help deliver the ambitions of the Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy - ensuring that we are a nation that is ready for, and resilient to, flooding and coastal change. Collaboration is key and the more we work and plan together, the more we can put communities at the heart of what we do.
We listened to what people told us during the public consultation in October 2021 and we value what you value too. The importance of partnerships to deliver actions, the need to strengthen a catchment approach so we work with and better recognise the value of the natural environment and the places we live and work in. In addition, we need to rise to the challenge of making infrastructure resilient to flooding while reducing carbon use.
These plans will help us to:
- identify measures (actions) that will reduce the likelihood and consequences of flooding
- inform the delivery of existing flood programmes
- improve resilience of people and places to plan for, respond to, and recover from flooding and coastal change
- plan and adapt to a changing climate through developing longer-term, adaptive approaches, and
- work in partnership to deliver wider resilience measures, such as nature based solutions.
There are great examples of this throughout the 10 FRMPs. For example
- The Environment Agency, in partnership with Warrington Borough Council and others, will engage local business and community groups to use property resilience and sustainable drainage to improve their resilience to flooding.
- The London Borough of Ealing will promote natural flood management techniques in Ealing to reduce risk of surface water flooding and improve the environment.
You can see what is planned for where you live and work on the Flood Plan Explorer. Please take a look and see how we are helping to manage flood risk in your local area.
Author: Caroline Douglass