The Environment Agency has issued a call for expressions of interest (EOI) to create landscape-scale natural flood management (NFM).
Slowing the flow with leaky dams within the Surrey Hills area.
Photo credit: Andrew Turton, Defra Communications
Carried out as part of the Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) Investment Programme, the projects will provide valuable evidence on the benefits and value for money of working at this scale. The insight will help inform future policy, appraisal methods and investment decisions for landscape-scale NFM.
To be eligible projects must:
- provide one or more eligible NFM measures, as set out on the GOV.UK eligibility page, including (where appropriate) saltmarsh or mudflat restoration through managed realignment
- demonstrate applicants or partners either own the land where the NFM measures will be provided or have signed, legally sound agreements with landowner(s) confirming NFM can be created, land accessed, and NFM measures maintained before funding is awarded
- be at a landscape scale - catchments over approximately 2,500ha (25km²) or coastal frontages over 20ha (0.2km²)
- address flooding and/or coastal erosion (inland or coastal)
- cost more than £3 million and require no more than £10 million FCERM Grant‑in‑Aid funding
- provide at least 10% funding contributions for the project costs above £3 million, though more is encouraged
The Government has committed a 3-year investment of £4.2 billion to reduce risk from, and increase resilience to, flooding and coastal erosion which covers the period from April 2026 to March 2029. The new flood funding policy is being implemented from 1 April 2026.
In June 2025, government announced further information on the longer-term investment programme with the publication of UK’s 10-year Infrastructure Strategy. This strategy commits to £7.9 billion of capital investment in building and repairing flood defences over 10 years from April 2026 to March 2036.
To find out more and apply email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .