Flood and coastal erosion risk management report: 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019

Question 1

1.  Flood risk

Accepted Answer

Over 5.2 million homes and businesses in England are at risk from flooding.

1.1 Properties at risk of flooding

Sources of flooding include:

rivers
the sea
surface water
groundwater

Some properties are at risk from more than one source of flooding.

During a significant flood there may be disruption to local services and utilities. Over two-thirds of properties depend on infrastructure located in areas at risk of flooding. Research from the long-term investment scenarios shows for every person affected during a large flood about 16 more suffer knock-on effects from loss of utility services.

Table 1: properties at risk of flooding from 1 April to 31 March for each year

Source of flooding	2014 to 2015	2015 to 2016	2016 to 2017	2017 to 2018	2018 to 2019
Rivers and the sea	2.4 million	2.7 million	2.7 million	2.6 million	2.5 million
Surface water	3 million	3 million	3.2 million	3.2 million	3.2 million
Rivers, the sea and surface water	600,000	660,000	660,000	660,000	660,000
Groundwater	122,000 – 290,000	122,000 – 290,000	122,000 – 290,000	122,000 – 290,000	122,000 – 290,000

The figures for groundwater in table 1 may include properties at risk of flooding from surface water.

The Environment Agency uses flood mapping and modelling to understand the risk of flooding at a local and national level.

The number of properties at risk of flooding varies from year to year. This is due to improvements in the data and modelling information used.

Table 2: properties in areas at risk of flooding from rivers and the sea, and from surface water as of 31 March 2019

Level of risk	Total number of properties in areas at risk of flooding from rivers and the sea	Number of residential properties in areas at risk of flooding from rivers and the sea	Total number of properties in areas at risk of flooding from surface water	Number of residential properties in areas at risk of flooding from surface water
High	200,000	121,000	324,000	239,000
Medium	672,000	458,000	504,000	395,000
Low	1,047,000	801,000	2,353,000	1,879,000
Very low	631,000	525,000	Not assessed	Not assessed
Total	2,549,000	1,905,000	3,181,000	2,513,000

1.2 Flooding between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019

The majority of flood impacts were from surface water and river flooding. These occurred during 2 notable events in May 2018 and March 2019. There were a few minor, local level impacts from coastal flooding during the year. We recorded no groundwater flooding impacts.

Significant flooding occurred in Birmingham and Northampton on 27 May 2018. In the following days thunderstorms cause localised flooding in Shropshire, Nottinghamshire and Oxfordshire. Over 500 properties were flooded. Sadly there was also a fatality in Birmingham when a car was submerged in flood water. At the peak of the incident, the Environment Agency had 28 flood warnings in place. Many of these were in Birmingham City Centre. Some rain gauges in the Midlands recorded between 40mm and 60mm of rainfall in 3 hours. At Winterbourne, Edgbaston, 58mm of rain fell in 1 hour. It overwhelmed drainage systems and some rivers, causing widespread disruption across the city. Yet other gauges nearby recorded less than 10mm.

The first half of March 2019 was wet in the north of England. A succession of low pressure systems brought strong winds and frequent heavy rain. The volume of water increased in rivers across the north of England and the Midlands in response to:

persistent heavy rainfall during Storm Gareth on 11 and 12 March 2019
a period of heavy rain over the weekend of 15 to 17 March 2019

The Environment Agency issued flood warnings and alerts across a widespread area. On 16 March 2019, persistent heavy rain fell on ground that was already wet. This caused high river levels in and around York. In Tadcaster, the River Wharfe overtopped its banks on to the Ings. This caused flooding to the football field and also one property. On 17 March 2019 there were 58 flood warnings and 69 flood alerts in place. This was the highest number during the incident. In Yorkshire, 32 properties were flooded and 24 were flooded in the Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Merseyside area. The majority of these were from river flooding.

Table 3 shows the estimated number of properties (homes and businesses) flooded. The Environment Agency collates this data. We base it on information received from the public, our flood partners and our staff during a flood event. All figures are subject to change as we confirm and update our records.

Table 3: notable floods from 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019

Location of flood	Date	Number of properties flooded
Birmingham, West Midlands	End of May 2018	230
Northampton, East Midlands	End of May 2018	140
Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire	End of May 2018	150
Yorkshire	Mid-March 2019	30
Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Merseyside	Mid-March 2019	20

1.2.1 Local flood investigations

Under section 19 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 LLFAs must:

investigate the causes of locally significant flood events in their area
publish the results and notify other relevant RMAs of the findings

Between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019 LLFAs used the findings most frequently to:

influence funding priorities
increase awareness and resilience of local communities
inform the local flood risk management strategy or action plan

1.3 Flood warning registrations

Being prepared for flooding helps reduce the impacts and enables faster recovery. The Environment Agency encourages people to register for its free flood warning service. Alerts and warnings enable the public to take action to protect themselves and their possessions.

The Environment Agency’s flood warning service covers:

flooding from rivers and the sea
some properties at risk of groundwater flooding

It does not cover flooding from surface water. LLFAs are responsible for flooding from surface water. Properties can be in more than one flood warning area. This occurs if the property is at risk of both coastal or tidal, and river flooding.

As of 31 March 2019, there were over 1.42 million properties registered to receive free flood warnings. Since 2010 we have automatically added phone numbers registered in areas at risk of flooding. We began by adding BT landlines followed by mobile phones.

In the Autumn Budget 2018 government announced £5.4 million to create around 250 new flood warning areas. The new areas will include all communities in England at the highest risk of flooding

1.4 Flood alerts, flood warnings and severe flood warnings issued

From 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019, the Environment Agency issued:

2,210 flood alerts
852 flood warnings
0 severe flood warnings

See Flood alerts and warnings: what they are and what to do to find out what the different types of warnings mean.

Table 4 and graph: number of flood alerts, flood warnings and severe flood warnings for the period 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019

Month / year	Flood Alert	Flood Warning
Apr 2018	400	149
May 2018	129	65
Jun 2018	32	33
Jul 2018	76	35
Aug 2018	58	39
Sep 2018	137	56
Oct 2018	234	100
Nov 2018	184	70
Dec 2018	298	53
Jan 2019	71	42
Feb 2019	186	53
Mar 2019	405	157

Table 5 and graph: comparison of flood alerts, flood warnings and severe flood warnings issued each year between 2012 and 2019

Years	Flood Alert	Flood Warning	Severe Flood Warning
1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013	4527	2093	15
1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014	3832	1897	147
1 April 2014 to 31 March 2015	2154	343	0
1 April 2015 to 31 March 2016	3432	1285	103
1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017	2037	496	25
1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018	2271	420	0
1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019	2210	852	0

1.5 Multi-agency flood plan review

The government commissioned a review of multi-agency flood plans (MAFPs) that local resilience forums (LRFs) in England produced in 2017.

The MAFPs final report was published in June 2018. It includes recommendations under 12 headings.

The government published its response to the conclusions and recommendations in January 2019. It recognises the significant work already underway since the publication of the review. This includes:

workshops with LRFs in October 2018
extra government funding to expand the Environment Agency’s flood warning service

Resilience Direct is an online collaboration tool used by category 1 and 2 responders. They use it to prepare for and respond to multi-agency incidents. The Cabinet Office published 4 revised MAFP guidance documents on Resilience Direct on 24 April 2019. They are a:

streamlined and updated guidance document
checklist for plan assurance
good practice document with examples from existing plans
new template to reflect the updated plan structure

Question 2

2.  Coastal change

Accepted Answer

The Futurecoast data and the National Coastal Erosion Risk Map (NCERM) shows that about 1,800km of open coast is eroding to some degree. About a quarter is eroding at more than 10 centimetres per year. In some places it’s eroding more than 2 metres per year. NCERM indicates that about 2,000 properties are at risk of loss to coastal erosion by 2060. This assumes current shoreline management plan policies are implemented.

Coastal erosion causes permanent loss to property and infrastructure. This can have a significant impact on local economies both within and outside the affected area.

2.1 Shoreline management plans

Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs) provide the long-term management framework for both coastal flooding and erosion. Over the last year there have been no changes to management policies set out in the SMPs. Coastal groups and RFCCs continue to monitor and scrutinise progress against the SMP action plans.

The actions range from:

implementing projects in the 6 year investment programme
ongoing engagement or monitoring activities

Discussions continue about:

how to action the policies in these plans
what contribution local businesses and communities can make
when to make important decisions about improving flood risk management assets or withdrawing investment

The government is working closely with coastal authorities on a £1 million project running over 3 years to refresh the SMPs developed between 2006 and 2012. The Environment Agency is co-ordinating the project with support from 6 regional coastal groups.

The refresh will ensure SMPs are up-to-date and use the best evidence available to make decisions about managing the coast. It’s also an opportunity to ensure that:

we are doing all we can to steer coastal management on a sustainable course
coastal authorities have a properly resourced plan to achieve this

The Environment Agency will also identify options to make SMPs more accessible.

2.2 Coastal habitats

Constructing FCERM schemes can sometimes cause loss of valuable coastal habitat. Most losses will arise from ‘coastal squeeze’. This is where flood risk management assets prevent the natural landward migration of habitats. We make long-term forecasts about how much habitat we will loose to coastal squeeze.

The Environment Agency reports on habitat created to offset habitat lost in internationally protected areas in England. We submitted our second report to Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) in January 2018. The ‘National Review of Statutory Habitat Compensation Associated with Flood and Coastal Risk Management Activity’ report is available on request by contacting enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk

2.2.1 Inter-tidal saltmarsh and mudflats

The Habitats Regulations came into UK law in 1994. Inter-tidal saltmarsh and mudflat habitats are at most risk from coastal squeeze. The total amount of inter-tidal saltmarsh and mudflats created since 1994 is more than the area lost. Since 2000, we have worked with partners to create over 900 hectares of inter-tidal saltmarsh and mudflat. A further 300 hectares is being developed. We estimate that, by 2025, we will have created a total of 296 hectares more than the area lost across England. Large schemes in the Humber Estuary, such as Alkborough Flats, have helped to create this beneficial habitat since 2000.

However, we expect to continue to loose coastal habitat as a result of sea level rise. The Habitat Compensation Programme monitors long-term habitat change at a regional level. The programme also identifies potential sites for further habitat creation.

2.2.2 Other coastal habitats

Other protected habitats at the coast also experience pressure from FCERM activity. These include:

saline lagoons and vegetated shingle
freshwater habitats such as reedbed and coastal grazing marsh

The Environment Agency has created an extra 600 hectares of these habitats since the early 2000s. These are mainly reedbed and grazing marsh situated on the east and south-east coast. We need to continue to create these habitats as there are likely to be losses as a result of future schemes.

Question 3

3.  Investing to manage risk

Accepted Answer

Understanding flood and coastal erosion risk allows us to identify and take appropriate actions to manage it.

In February 2019 the Environment Agency published its updated economic assessment of future FCERM. The long-term investment scenarios (LTIS 2019) show that flood damage to properties and infrastructure will significantly increase without increased investment.

3.1 Investment in FCERM

The current 6 year programme of FCERM schemes runs from 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2021. The government made a commitment to invest £2.6 billion over this period to better protect 300,000 homes.

Since 2015, the government has invested about £1.7 billion of capital funding in FCERM. Of this, the Environment Agency has distributed £433 million to other RMAs. This includes LLFAs and IDBs who use the funding for FCERM schemes.

The government spent a total of £792.4 million on FCERM from 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019.

In July 2018 government announced an extra £40 million of funding to better protect thousands of homes against flooding. More than 7,000 properties, including over 5,000 homes, will be better protected against the threat of flooding. Across the country 13 flood schemes will benefit from the extra funding. It will:

enable these schemes to progress
help support economic growth and regeneration in areas that have flooded in recent years

Since 2015, RFCCs have invested £100 million of capital local levy in FCERM. The local levy is a fund raised from LLFAs by the RFCCs for local priority FCERM projects.

Funding for FCERM schemes is allocated through the government’s partnership funding policy. More funding is available for schemes that:

better protect a greater number of homes
better protect a greater number of homes in deprived areas
provide economic benefits
create or enhance habitats

Some schemes do not justify full funding from government. Partnership funding contributions supplement government funding so that it can go further. This gives more communities the opportunity to invest in (and benefit from) local FCERM measures that could not be funded by central government alone.

The Environment Agency reviews the programme of FCERM schemes each year to make sure it:

gets the best value for money
will reach the target of 300,000 homes protected between 2015 and 2021

Investment is prioritised where the risk is highest. This is regardless of where it is in the country. Each scheme is carefully considered to identify where most people and property will benefit. The Environment Agency also ensures that funding is available for FCERM projects up to 2021. This means the amount of funding invested each year can vary.

Table 6: FCERM capital investment from 1 April to 31 March for each year

Investment type (£ million)	2015 to 2016	2016 to 2017	2017 to 2018	2018 to 2019
Grant-in-aid (GIA)	391	447	403	453
Funding from partners	75	104	76	95
Local levy	16	23	28	33

3.2 Significant schemes completed

Government has set a target to better protect 300,000 homes from the risk of flooding and coastal erosion between April 2015 and March 2021.

Between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019, the Environment Agency worked with other RMAs to complete 202 FCERM schemes. The majority of these schemes (84) were built to better protect people and homes from the risk of flooding from rivers. The rest better protected people and homes from:

flooding from the sea (45)
flooding from surface water (62)
coastal erosion (9)
flooding from groundwater (2)

In total, these schemes helped better protect:

49,127 homes from flooding - 6,854 of these are in areas of significant flood risk and economic deprivation
1,627 homes from coastal erosion - 81 of these are in areas of significant flood risk and economic deprivation

Table 7: examples of significant schemes better protecting homes between 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019

Scheme name	RFCC	Cost of scheme (£)	Number of homes better protected between 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019
Morecambe Wave Reflection Wall	North West	£10.8 million	5,464
Exeter Flood Risk Management Scheme	South West	£45.7 million	2,970
Land Yeo Lower and Blind Yeo Asset Improvements	Wessex	£2.1 million	2,825
Humber: Hull frontage	Yorkshire	£27.3 million	2,270

The total cost of a scheme in table 7 is for all funding sources and for all years. This includes all prior and future years funding, as some of these schemes will better protect more homes in future years.

Case study 1 : Ipswich tidal flood barrier

Ipswich flood tidal barrier control centre.

The Ipswich Flood Defence Management Strategy comprises a mix of new and refurbished flood walls and gates along the River Orwell. The Ipswich tidal barrier officially opened in February 2019. It cost almost £70 million and will reduce the risk of tidal flooding to:

over 1,600 homes
400 businesses
important infrastructure

The scheme received funding from:

the Environment Agency
Ipswich Borough Council
Anglian Eastern RFCC
UK Power Networks

The Environment Agency worked closely with the local community, council and businesses to design and build a scheme that provides a greater level of protection for the town. The scheme will release land for development helping to create an estimated 4,000 jobs.

As well as better protecting people and homes, FCERM schemes can have additional benefits. They can help to better protect businesses, infrastructure and agricultural land.

Table 8 and graph: other benefits of FCERM schemes from 2011 to 2019

Year from 1 April to 31 March	Agricultural land (ha)	Commercial properties	Roads (km)	Rail (km)
2011 to 2012	74,011	5,572	1,800	107
2012 to 2013	75,645	5,874	1,774	75
2013 to 2014	84,106	5,487	2,247	54
2014 to 2015	100,580	11,282	2,340	122
2015 to 2016	74,644	11,500	1,854	150
2016 to 2017	30,442	7,041	1,090	51
2017 to 2018	32,838	7,595	1,176	55
2018 to 2019	36,307	8,677	1,343	63

3.3 Maintaining flood risk management assets

Between 2015 and 2020 government will be spending over £1 billion on maintaining flood risk management (FRM) assets.

Between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019, the Environment Agency invested over £200 million on maintaining FRM assets.

The investment includes developing technology and maintenance activities, such as:

inspecting, maintaining and operating assets
channel maintenance

The Environment Agency maintains around 78,000 assets that have a FRM purpose in England. These include:

5,200km of defences on main rivers
1,200km of tidal defences
600km of coastal defences
20,000 structures
200km of culverts

The Environment Agency regularly inspects over 175,000 FRM assets. These are maintained by:

the Environment Agency
other RMAs
third parties

At 31 March 2019, 97.9% of Environment Agency maintained flood risk assets in high consequence FRM systems were in the required condition. Assets that are below the required condition need additional maintenance work. It does not mean they have structurally failed or that performance in a flood is compromised. If an asset’s performance is reduced, we will take action to effectively manage flood risk until it is fully repaired or replaced.

Details of planned maintenance activities are published in the river and coastal maintenance programme.

3.3.1 Reviewing river maintenance and management

Involving local communities and organisations in decision making and managing watercourses is important. The Environment Agency worked with some IDBs and LLFAs to transfer FRM activities on some stretches of watercourses. This means that IDBs and LLFAs can take on more responsibility for their local flood risk where appropriate. Their designation will change from main river to ordinary watercourse. This is known as de-maining.

We completed the de-maining pilots at:

South Forty Foot in South Lincolnshire in November 2018
Isle of Axeholme and Stour Marshes in summer 2019

As a result we successfully transferred the management of flood risk to 3 IDBs along with:

63.8 km of watercourses
28 flood risk management assets
178 acres of land

3.4 Efficiency savings

The Environment Agency is required to report to government about FCERM efficiency. This is to achieve the best possible value for the investment of public funds. This is a requirement of HM Treasury. Opportunities to improve efficiencies come from:

national initiatives that allow operational improvements
local project specific activities

Savings are achieved through:

innovation
value engineering
longer-term planning and packaging of work

The total efficiencies achieved since April 2015 is £178 million. Efficiencies vary from year to year. They depend on:

the FCERM funding allocation for that year
individual project completion dates

Table 9 and graph: FCERM efficiencies achieved between 2015 and 2019

Period	2015/16	2016/17	2017/18	2018/19
Efficiency savings (£ million)	50	40	45	43

Question 4

4.  Reducing risk and minimising consequences

Accepted Answer

Flooding and coastal erosion cannot be totally eliminated but we can reduce the risk. This takes a variety of approaches and close working with other RMAs and organisations.

4.1 Development in areas at risk of flooding

The National Planning Policy Framework makes it clear that inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding should be avoided.

Development should be steered to areas with the lowest risk of flooding. Where this is not possible the development should show it will:

be safe throughout its lifetime, including any future risk from climate change
be appropriately flood resistant and resilient
not increase risk elsewhere

The Environment Agency comments on development proposals:

in areas that are currently at medium or high risk of flooding from rivers and the sea
in areas with critical drainage problems
within 20 metres of a main river

Between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019:

fewer than 9% of new homes were built in high flood risk areas
over 95% of all planning decisions were in line with Environment Agency advice on flood risk
over 99% of new homes proposed in planning applications complied with Environment Agency advice on flood risk

These results are comparable to previous years. The Environment Agency records a sample of the decision notices that are available via local planning authority web pages. We also publish a comprehensive list of all applications where we’ve lodged objections on flood risk grounds. Many of the issues will have been resolved before a final decision was made.

Table 10: planning applications reviewed by the Environment Agency and determined in line with its advice

Environment Agency	1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019
Planning applications responded to	12,140
Number of planning decisions made that related to flood risk objections	1,709
Number of planning decisions made in line with the Environment Agency’s advice	1,626
% of planning applications determined in line with the Environment Agency’s advice	95.14%
% of residential properties in planning applications in line with our advice	99.44%

4.2 National Planning Policy Framework

The government took action to strengthen and clarify planning requirements in the revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). It was published in July 2018 following a public consultation and joint working by:

the Environment Agency
Defra
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Changes include:

local planning authorities should consider the extent of future flooding in their strategic development plans
proposed developments in a low flood risk area that will be at greater flood risk in the future should have a flood risk assessment
developments that benefit from FRM schemes should also have flood risk mitigation and resilience measures
a stronger policy on sustainable drainage systems (SuDS), particularly SuDS that also benefit biodiversity, water quality and amenity
a clearer requirement that maintenance arrangements need to be in place for the lifetime of developments to ensure operational standards for SuDS

SuDS replicate natural drainage processes. They transport surface water and slow down runoff before it enters watercourses and drainage systems. Many types of SuDS also provide wider water quality, biodiversity and wellbeing benefits.

4.3 Sewers for adoption

The Environment Agency and Defra have worked with Water UK to:

assess if there are barriers to effective SuDS adoption by water companies
identify how these barriers can be overcome

New sewerage sector guidance has been developed by Water UK and approved by Ofwat. The update includes design and construction guidance for SuDS. It will allow water and sewerage companies to adopt SuDS that meet the relevant requirements. This is effective from 1 April 2020.

4.4 Water and sewerage companies

The Environment Agency publishes an annual report on the environmental performance of the 9 water and sewerage companies operating mainly in England. Between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019, water companies invested:

£187 million to reduce the risk of sewer flooding to homes
£288 million to maintain the public sewer system to prevent blockages and flooding
£4.7 million in property-level measures to reduce the risk of sewer flooding in homes

Water companies worked with others to:

support flood risk assessments and produce integrated drainage models to better understand the risk of flooding
provide co-funded partnership solutions to reduce flood risk to communities and enhance the environment
enhance the resilience of their networks and services to flooding
enable growth that manages flooding, pollution and improves water quality
raise customer awareness of their impact of sewer misuse
exercise incident management and winter preparedness plans
start work on their drainage and wastewater management plans (DWMPs)
develop their price review 2019 plans and future investment needs

Companies continue to work with the wider water sector to develop tools and approaches to:

improve their resilience to flooding
strengthen their environmental performance

A number of companies are working with partners to make cities and catchments resilient to a changing climate. Good practice includes:

Thames Water’s adaptive planning for London 2100
Northumbrian Water’s work with the Northumbrian Integrated Drainage Partnership (NIDP)

In September 2018 Water UK’s 21st Century Drainage Programme published a framework for the long term planning of drainage and wastewater services. Water and sewerage companies will use the framework to produce DWMPs by the end of 2022. The DWMPs will support their business plans for the 2024 price review.

Case study 2 : Living with Water

The Living with Water (LWW) partnership comprises:

the Environment Agency
Hull City Council
East Riding of Yorkshire Council
Yorkshire Water

These partners work together to make the Hull and East Riding area more resilient to flooding.

In February 2019 the LWW partnership launched a water-related design competition. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) administered the competition. It invited participants to design flood-resilient concepts for 2 major regeneration sites in the city’s former docklands. The Humber Quays West and Hull Arena is one of the city’s most prestigious redevelopment opportunities. With a waterfront location resilient development is a main priority.

The winning design features a strategy for ‘absorb, retain, release’. Sunken basements beneath the residential buildings provide large basins to hold flood water. These spaces are also car parks and cycle storage areas. The sunken basins hold flood water over extended periods of time. The water can then be slowly released back into the local drainage or the Humber. Sunken ball courts, amphitheatres and play spaces are also designed to fill and hold rainwater.

4.5 Surface water management action plan

In July 2018 Defra published a surface water management action plan. It sets out the actions government and others are taking to improve our understanding of the risks and the way we manage them.

These include:

improving risk assessment and communication
making sure infrastructure is resilient
clarifying responsibilities for surface water management
joining up planning for surface water management
building local authority capacity

The government’s Autumn Budget 2018 included funding to boost action on surface water flood risk. This included measures to improve our flood risk assessment for surface water by:

better combining local and national information
commissioning improved surface water flood risk information in “hotspot” areas
developing plausible extreme scenarios for surface water flooding
improving and updating local detail of surface water flood maps
enhancing the speed of communication of storm forecasts to local responders

This work will support the implementation of the surface water management action plan. It is also aligned with the National Infrastructure Commission’s recommendations on surface water in their National Infrastructure Assessment.

4.6 Flood risk activities – environmental permitting

The Environment Agency regulates work on or near main rivers through environmental permits. On 1 April 2018 we published a new charging scheme for regulatory permits and services.

Flood risk activity permitting moved from a single fixed fee for all permit applications to a categorised approach. The higher risk activities incur a higher charge. This approach ensures we operate on a cost recovery basis for our regulatory service. Businesses and organisations now pay the full cost of the services they receive. The new charging model is simpler, fairer and more effective. It will lead to long-term environmental and FRM improvements. Customers will see a more efficient, transparent and consistent service.

The environmental permitting table of charges lists activities that need a permit or registered exemption from the Environment Agency.

The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 allow us to make standard rules. These rules reduce the administration for applicants while maintaining environmental and flood standards.

The Environment Agency reviewed the standard rules for flood risk activities this year. This is the first time since we introduced them in 2016. A consultation ran from 6 November 2018 to 11 January 2019. Following this we amended the existing standard rules and created 3 new ones. We published the new and updated standard rules in August 2019.

4.7 Natural flood management

Natural flood management (NFM) protects, restores or copies the natural function of:

rivers and their floodplains
estuaries
the coast

NFM can reduce flood and coastal erosion risk, and offer other benefits such as:

creating or restoring important wildlife habitat
improving the local environment
creating recreation opportunities
capturing and storing carbon

There are 40 projects in the current FCERM capital investment programme that include NFM measures as part of their solution. Examples include:

creating upstream storage areas
building woody dams in rivers to slow the flow of water

4.7.1 NFM programme

In 2016 government announced £15 million of funding which was then allocated to 58 projects in the NFM programme.

The NFM programme started in 2017 and will continue until 2021.

The projects will:

reduce flood and/or coastal erosion risk
improve habitats and increase biodiversity
contribute to research and development and reduce the evidence gap for NFM
promote partnership working

Two community led projects were completed between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019.

Case study 3 : Orford and Havergate (Suffolk)

Orford and Havergate NFM scheme. — Orford and Havergate NFM scheme under construction.

The project lowered a 650 metre section of seawall that surrounds Havergate Island. Reducing the height by nearly half a metre allows more sea water to flow in and out of the coastal nature reserve. This helps to protect its designated habitats and wildlife against the impacts of climate change. It has also created much needed extra flood storage capacity

Case study 4 : Papermill Dyke (South Yorkshire)

This was a 3 year project led by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. The aim was to slow the river flow through the catchment. Extra benefits include:

reducing the pollution input into Maltby Low Common Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)
restoring wet woodland and wet grassland habitats

The Environment Agency will track the NFM programme to understand the flood risk and environmental benefits. In January 2019 we published a NFM programme interim lessons learnt report. It is based on feedback from NFM project managers and practitioners who are taking part in the NFM trials. The report groups the findings into 4 themes:

developing a programme
valuing benefits and project assessment
partnership working
responsibilities and maintenance

4.8 Improving the environment

RMAs look for opportunities to create and improve habitat as part of their FRM work. They often form partnerships with groups such as wildlife and rivers trusts.

The Environment Agency has a legal obligation to compensate where it damages habitats - see the coastal habitats section. For example, we will create a habitat in a new location if building a flood or coastal risk management scheme damages an existing habitat.

The environmental improvements completed by RMAs from 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019 include:

enhancing 164km of waterbodies
enhancing 485 hectares of habitat
creating 300 hectares of habitat

Examples of these improvements include:

removing or modifying weirs to make it easier for fish to migrate upstream
creating and restoring woodland habitat to help manage runoff and reduce flood risk downstream

4.8.1 Biodiversity net gain

One of the ambitions of the government’s 25 Year Environment Plan is to embed an ‘environmental net gain’ principle for development.

To help achieve this Defra consulted on plans for new development to achieve biodiversity net gain. This approach aims to leave the natural environment in a better state than before the development started. It may also provide opportunities for flood and coastal erosion risk management. The consultation ran from 2 December 2018 to 10 February 2019.

New biodiversity net gain measures were recently announced in the Environment Bill 2020. This means that new development, including new housing, will help wildlife to thrive by improving habitats and creating new green spaces.

4.9 Local flood risk management (FRM) strategies

Under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 all 152 LLFAs must have a local FRM strategy. They must develop, maintain and track progress against their local strategies.

Local flood risk includes flooding from surface water, groundwater and ordinary watercourses.

By March 2019 all LLFAs in England had published their local FRM strategies.

Over the previous year, LLFAs have reported using their strategy and action plan in a variety of ways. These include:

securing funding for schemes
identifying priority work for delivery, including schemes
informing spatial planning advice and/or decisions
communicating and engaging with local communities
raising the profile of flood risk and influence within the council and with partner organisations

4.10 Reservoir safety

The Environment Agency regulates large raised reservoirs in England. This is a requirement of the Reservoirs Act 1975. We regulate:

1,849 third-party-owned large raised reservoirs
213 large raised reservoirs that we operate mainly for flood risk management purposes

The act aims to ensure that dams and reservoirs are safe. Responsibility for ensuring the safety of reservoirs lies with their operators. Our role, as the enforcement authority for the act, is to ensure the operators comply with the legal safety requirements. Further detail can be found in our Reservoir safety biennial report: 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2018 published in April 2019.

The Environment Agency published its Reservoir safety post-incident annual report for 2018 in January 2020. Between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019, there were 11 incidents where emergency measures were taken to prevent an uncontrolled release of water. This is the total number of incidents reported to the Environment Agency. The average number of incidents reported per year is 7.

Two of the incidents were classed as ‘level 2’ and 9 were ‘level 3’. Level 2 is a serious incident that requires emergency drawdown or emergency works. Level 3 is an incident that requires a precautionary drawdown or unplanned works. In one case, the Environment Agency used emergency powers to intervene and draw down the reservoir.

4.11 Asset registers

Under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, each LLFA must:

establish and maintain a register of flood risk assets
make it available to the public

By 31 March 2019:

109 LLFAs had compiled up-to-date asset registers
43 LLFAs had work in progress to develop their registers, or to update the contents

Over the previous year, LLFAs reported using the outputs of their asset register in a variety of ways. These include:

guiding decisions on asset inspection, operation maintenance and replacement
influencing discussions with asset owners
prioritising internal funding

4.12 Public sector cooperation agreements

The Flood and Water Management Act 2010 states that relevant authorities must cooperate with each other when carrying out FCERM functions. RMAs can work together to provide flood risk maintenance and other activities. One example of partnership working is the public sector cooperation agreements (PSCAs). The benefits of partnership working are now well established and the efficiencies generated show this.

The Environment Agency uses PSCAs for a wide variety of work including:

routine maintenance
small improvement works
incident response

We will continue to increase the number of PSCAs and their use where appropriate.

Table 11: summary of national PSCAs at 31 March 2019

	Internal drainage board	Lead local flood authority	Navigation authority	Total
PSCAs in place	61	14	2	77
PSCAs in principle	7	11	0	18

4.13 Skills and capacity in LLFAs

RFCCs play an important role in encouraging members to understand and address skills and capacity issues in their area. Local levy and co-funded posts play an important part in maintaining capacity in LLFAs. They supplement small teams and support inter-agency working. Sharing expertise and resources flexibly in this way works well for many authorities. There are good examples of a joint team looking after a wider geographical area.

From 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019 the Environment Agency focussed on increasing skills and capability across the sector. We wanted to improve the collective ability of RMAs to secure partnership funding for FCERM schemes.

We held local workshops and training events around the country, involving about 650 delegates. The workshops and training covered topics such as:

partnership funding
effective business engagement for investment
Geographical Information Systems (GIS) for coastal groups
project appraisal, including benefits and economic appraisal

An important area for development for RMAs was how to:

prepare business cases
identify and calculate efficiencies
understand assurance processes

We formed a network of subject matter experts to help streamline assurance processes. We also produced an ‘Investment Journey Toolkit’ with training material and best practice advice.

The Environment Agency introduced Programme Delivery Units (PDUs) in July 2017. They consist of Environment Agency staff and our suppliers. PDUs have helped to increase capacity, provide additional technical skills and improved service. They continue to provide help with project management capability for:

carrying out scheme appraisals
scheme development
support in letting contracts

The PDUs are also helping us move to our new ways of working under the New Generation Supplier Arrangements (NGSA). The Water and Environment Management (WEM) Framework came to an end in April 2019.

Capacity continues to be a challenge for RMAs where a single person holds several different roles. If RMAs do not have the in-house technical skills or enough capacity, they use framework contractors and consultants as needed.

4.14 Progress on implementing the Flood Risk Regulations 2009 and flood risk management plans

Flood risk management plans (FRMPs) were first published in March 2016. They set out how RMAs will work together and with communities to manage and reduce the risk of flooding. They cover all sources of flooding over a 5 year cycle and take a strategic look over the next 100 years. This means that some of the measures in table 12 may not begin until later in the period or may be superseded or replaced over time.

The process of reviewing and updating the first cycle of FRMPs is underway. The aim is to take a more strategic approach to the next cycle including closer integration with river basin management plans (RBMPs).

Table 12 and graph: progress made towards implementing the FRMP measures for the period 2015 to 2021 as of 31 March 2019

Progress	Number of measures
Ongoing	3099
Complete	897
Superseded	528
Not started	1410

Case study 5 : Skipton flood alleviation scheme, Yorkshire

A new flood alleviation scheme for Skipton opened in October 2018. It cost £17.8 million and will reduce the risk of flooding from the Eller Beck and Waller Hill Beck. The Environment Agency was the lead partner in the scheme. Funding also came from:

the Defra Growth Fund
North Yorkshire County Council
Yorkshire RFCC
Yorkshire Water

The scheme will reduce flood risk for 378 homes and at least 165 businesses. The scheme involved the creation of 2 upstream water storage areas. These slow the flow of water from the surrounding hills, reducing the risk of flooding in the town centre.

4.15 UK Climate Projections 2018

The government published the latest set of climate change projections in November 2018 (UKCP18).

The UKCP18 projections are an important source of information for UK organisations to ensure they are resilient to future climate and weather extremes. UKCP18:

provides the underlying evidence base for the next Climate Change Risk Assessment in 2022
informs the National Adaptation Programme (NAP)

The Environment Agency is working with Defra to account for UKCP18 in our planning and decision-making. This includes our long-term investment in FCERM over the next 50 years.

We’re already building-in climate change to create resilient places and make sure they are fit for the future. We’re doing this in both our bespoke planning advice for new developments and the design of new flood risk management assets.

On 17 December 2019 we published updated guidance for developers and planners on how to account for climate change in their flood risk assessments. This includes updated sea level rise allowances to reflect the UKCP18 climate change projections. We are working to update the rainfall allowances later in 2020.

Question 5

5.  Research and flood digital

Accepted Answer

5.1 FCERM research and development programme

Defra, the Environment Agency, Welsh Government and Natural Resources Wales manage the Joint Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Research and Development Programme. The programme is divided into 3 themes. These are:

Policy, Strategy and Investment
Asset Management
Incident Management and Modelling

The programme provides research, information, tools and techniques. It ensures we use high quality science to inform policy and practice. The Environment Agency is currently working on over 80 partnership projects. These projects have a value of over £10 million per year.

A full list of completed research published between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019 is available on the Joint Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Research and Development Programme website.

5.2 Research publication highlights

5.2.1 Better understanding of flood risk

In April 2018 we published a user guide relating to our research on Realistic Planning Scenarios for FCRM (SC140002).

The project developed methods and guidance to address the need for realistic planning scenarios. These scenarios account for:

the risk of widespread flooding across England and Wales
flooding from multiple sources (river, surface water and the sea)
the potential impacts of these types of flooding

The Cabinet Office’s National Risk Register now includes a surface water flooding risk. This is based on the evidence and modelling produced by this project. The results also informed the National Flood Resilience Review.

5.2.2 Understanding asset performance

In February 2019 we published our final report on Asset Performance Tools (SC140005). This research developed methods, tools and guidance to improve asset management decision-making. It identifies where, when and how to reduce flood risk for least cost and greatest benefit. The results of this will:

inform future research
address aspects of the Environment Agency’s Asset Management Strategy 2017 to 2022

It also supports our accreditation to ISO 55000. This is the international standard for asset management.

5.2.3 Improving drainage rate calculations

The improving drainage rate calculations project (SC120020) developed new guidance to estimate local drainage rates when mapping and modelling surface water flood risk. The guidance helps LLFAs check if the national maps correctly represent surface water flood risk in their area. It can also be used to:

see how the flood maps may change with more or less drainage
test scenarios like future climate change

5.2.4 Developing and trialling improved capabilities for forecasting surface water flooding

The Environment Agency worked with the Natural Hazards Partnership to develop a new surface water flood forecasting model (SC120006). It will help the joint Met Office and Environment Agency Flood Forecasting Centre to improve:

surface water flooding forecasts
information passed on to emergency responders (Flood Guidance Statements)

5.3 Flood digital development

Between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019 the Environment Agency designed and continuously improved 3 of the main flood services on GOV.UK. They are the:

5.3.1 River and sea levels

In spring 2018 the Environment Agency made further improvements to our river and sea levels service. We increased the number of locations with a 36-hour river level forecast to 30. Since then, we have received very positive comments from communities using the forecasts. We continue to learn and iterate the service based on their feedback. The number of locations with a 36-hour river level forecast continues to increase. We added another 30 locations in summer 2019 taking the total number to 60.

5.3.2 Flood warning service

In October 2018 the Environment Agency registered around 340,000 Three UK mobile phone customers to our free flood warning service. We worked with Three UK to automatically register customers who live in flood risk areas in England and Wales. They now receive a message to their mobile if a flood warning is issued for their area.

In December 2018 we successfully switched our text notification service to GOV.UK Notify. This provides us with a cheaper, smarter and better service. Since then we have been exploring how we can use GOV.UK Notify to further improve our service.

5.3.3 Flood risk information services

The Environment Agency continues to grow and improve its flood services on GOV.UK. This includes work to:

improve surface water and reservoir data on the long term flood risk information service
provide a self-service option for flood risk assessment information through the flood map for planning service

Question 6

6.  Looking forward

Accepted Answer

6.1 Government announcements

In July 2019 the government asked for views and evidence on some important issues which will inform future flood policy. Later in 2020 the government will set out its policies to tackle flooding and coastal erosion in the long-term.

In December 2019 the government announced an independent review into flood insurance. The review will:

recommend ways to help homes and businesses get sufficient insurance for flooding
inform any future policy decisions in this area

In the March 2020 Budget, the government announced that it will double its investment in FCERM to £5.2 billion over the next 6 years. This will ensure a further 336,000 homes and non-residential properties such as businesses, schools and hospitals are better protected from flooding and coastal erosion.

In addition, the government will provide £200 million between 2021 and 2027 for a place-based resilience programme. This will support 25 local areas to take forward wider innovative actions that improve their resilience to flooding and coastal erosion.

The government has worked with the Environment Agency to update how the level of government funding is allocated to FCERM projects. The changes will take account of wider environmental and social benefits that come with reducing the risk of flooding. Building on these changes, Defra will launch a public consultation in 2020 to gather views on a flood funding policy.

Following the announcement in the March 2020 Budget, the government published Planning for the future. It sets out plans for housing and planning and a commitment to review the policy for building in areas at flood risk.

6.2 National FCERM Strategy

In 2020 the Environment Agency will publish a new National FCERM Strategy for England.

We consulted on a draft strategy in summer 2019 and received a significant amount of constructive feedback and support.

The draft strategy had 3 high level ambitions:

climate resilient places
today’s growth and infrastructure is resilient in tomorrow’s climate
a nation of climate champions

The final strategy will set a direction to ensure the nation is resilient to flooding and coastal change. This is up to 2100 and accounting for climate change.

6.3 Property resilience pathfinders

In the Autumn Budget 2018 the government announced funding to boost action to make homes and buildings more resilient to floods. On 22 July 2019 government allocated funding up to £700,000 to each of 3 pathfinder projects. The funding is to boost research into property-level measures and their uptake. The 3 projects are:

Yorkshire Future Flood Resilience Pathfinder project (led by City of York Council)
Oxford-Cambridge Pathfinder (led by Northamptonshire County Council)
South West Partnership project (led by Cornwall County Council)

The funding will go towards:

new research initiatives
demonstration and advice centres and online advice to help people learn about the benefits of installing measures in their homes

The Environment Agency will support and track the projects to highlight successes and identify lessons. We will use this information to encourage greater use of measures elsewhere across the country.

6.4 Flood digital

One of the main aims of the Environment Agency’s flood information service is to improve how we alert people to flooding, even when they are on the move. We have worked closely with Google for 2 years to design and put in place Google Public Alerts in England.

This exciting development:

ensures vital warning information is more visible
means flood warnings will be more targeted to those who need them

We’ve achieved this using location information on Google search. The Environment Agency is one of the first partners to go live with Google Public Alerts in Europe. The service was launched in July 2019. Our flood warnings now appear on the Google Public Alerts map and are more prominent in Google search results.

We are also working with the Cabinet Office to influence mobile phone operators to put in place a UK–wide mass alerting system. The service could send alerts to people based on their location and they would not need to register. The Environment Agency would be ideally placed to benefit from this. For example it would enable us to issue warnings to people of immediate flood threats, including those on the move.

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