The Environment Agency has published a mid-programme report on the government’s £200 million flood and coastal innovation programmes which are developing new ways to manage flood and coastal erosion risks in the face of a changing climate.
In the 2020 Budget, the then government announced a £200 million innovation fund which is led and managed by the Environment Agency.
The programmes play a crucial role in helping to achieve the ambitions in the national Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management strategy. The 35 local innovation projects are developing new methods and techniques, alongside practical actions to bolster flood and coastal resilience and climate adaptation.
The flood and coastal innovation programmes include:
- flood and coastal resilience innovation programme – this is testing and implementing practical and innovative actions to improve resilience to flooding and coastal erosion
- coastal transition accelerator programme – this supports communities and businesses at risk of coastal erosion to transition and adapt to a changing coast
- adaptation pathways programme – this is developing adaptation pathway plans in locations of national significance, helping local places to better plan for and adapt to future flooding and coastal change
The programmes have already achieved many successes including:
- creating 97 natural flood management interventions – these use natural processes to help slow the flow and store floodwaters
- installing 572 river flow, rainfall and surface water monitoring sensors – these measure and monitor flood risk in real-time
- developing 3 artificial intelligence and machine learning projects using CCTV footage – these identify blockages on flood control structures
- creating 211 sustainable drainage system (SuDS) interventions – these help to control surface water runoff in urban areas reducing localised surface water flood risk
- securing about £21 million of partner funding contributions from water and sewerage companies, national public organisations, local authorities and the third sector
- enabling more than 20 local flood community groups – these help communities develop flood response plans so they can respond to and recover quickly from flooding
- supporting 25 PhD positions – these are investigating challenging areas of flood resilience and coastal transition
The learning from project teams has been drawn together into five themes:
- flood and coastal resilience can unlock significant wider social, economic and environmental benefits for people, places, and wildlife
- a lack of understanding and evidence hinders the coordination and delivery of groundwater flood risk management
- continual monitoring of flood and coastal resilience is vital to measuring performance and evaluating benefits over time
- flood and coastal resilience requires strong local leadership and governance, including community and political engagement
- the third sector are critical to delivery of flood and coastal resilience projects
The mid term report highlights the innovations and challenges in achieving flood and coastal resilience, adaptation and coastal transition, together with the learning the EA will share with government and partners around the country.
The programmes play a crucial role in helping to achieve the ambitions in the national Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management strategy. The 35 local innovation projects are developing new methods and techniques, alongside practical actions to bolster flood and coastal resilience and climate adaptation.
Click here to access the mid-programme report in full online
The Environment Agency is once again supporting Floodex UK, the leading sector event for the flood risk, sustainable drainage and water level management sector. Floodex takes place alongside the National Drainage Show and Waterways Management Show at ExCel, London on 27 and 28 November 2024. Click here for more information
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