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Flood Risk & Drainage
More than 64,000 more homes will be better protected from the devastating effects of flooding after 93 new flood defences were given the green light to start construction this year.
With £294 million to be invested in flood risk management this year, 165,000 homes are now expected to be better protected by 2015, which is 20,000 more than the current goal.
Partnership Funding
The flood defence schemes announced bring the total of partnership funding contributions to £148 million. These contributions, from local councils, businesses and private investors, are in addition to the Government’s investment. The increase in external investment has been made possible by the partnership funding model introduced by Defra in 2011 to allow more schemes to go ahead.
This year, partnership funded projects include:
• A £50.5 million scheme in Leeds that will protect 495 businesses and create over 18,000 jobs. Leeds City Council is contributing £10 million towards the cost of the scheme, with a further £5 million proposed to be raised from local businesses.
• New sea defences at Anchorsholme in Lancashire that will reduce the risk of flooding to 6,000 homes and highway, tramway and sewerage infrastructure. Blackpool Borough Council has contributed £4 million toward the total cost of £28.4 million.
• The £9.7 million Skipton scheme in North Yorkshire will reduce flooding to over 350 residential and 165 business properties in the market town. £2 million of the project cost has been brought forward by local businesses.
The partnership funding approach targets Government support towards the most at-risk and deprived communities and gives local people greater choice about levels of local flood protection.
In the past, communities held out for full Government funding when there was little or no prospect of it being available. The partnership funding model clarifies what level of investment communities can expect from the taxpayer so that they can find cost savings or secure funding from other sources to allow schemes to go ahead.
The Environment Agency has committed to increasing the number of people receiving free flood warnings to over 1.1 million households by 2015.
The Government is on course to spend £2.3 billion to prevent flooding and coastal erosion over the four years to 2015.
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Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said:
Unlocking Economic Growth
For the first time ever, the Government has provided additional funding for projects that will unlock economic growth. Example such as:
• Exeter’s new flood defences, as well as protecting over 2,000 homes, will create over 1,000 jobs whilst also protecting businesses which employ 4,700 people.
• A tidal barrier in Ipswich will improve flood protection to ten hectares of development land attracting more business to the area and creating 4,000 jobs.
• A £50.5 million scheme in Leeds that will protect 495 businesses and create over 18,000 jobs.
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The 93 schemes given the green light will bring huge relief to tens of thousands of homes and businesses that have lived with the fear of flood waters hitting their doors. They can get on with their daily lives and work knowing that there are well built defences.
This is also a message to the business community. By building defences that will unlock the economic potential of once blighted land we are saying to them that it is safe to come and set up. This will create jobs and grow the economy so we can compete in the global race.
Our partnership funding approach is a clear success, bringing in £148 million on top of our £2.3 billion investment so that more flood defences can be built. We now expect to protect 165,000 homes and businesses from flooding by 2015, exceeding our previous goal by 20,000.
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Lord Smith, Chairman of the Environment Agency, said:
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Our priority is to do as much as we can with every pound of funding and the new partnership funding approach is bringing in new money to allow flood defences to go ahead that would have been unaffordable in the past. We now expect to improve protection for 165,000 properties by 2015.
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