Assessing flood protection and resilience measures that can be taken by individual properties

The project provides an economic assessment of the role, effectiveness and the costs and benefits of property level flood protection.

From:
Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Research and Development Programme and Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Published
26 February 2021
Category:
Increasing resilience to flooding
Topics:
Adaptation, Behavioural change, Community participation, Community response and resilience, Emergency planning, Flood costs, Flood risk assessment, Partnership working, Recovery, Resilience planning, Resilient infrastructure, Surface water
Project status:
Completed
Project code:
FD2657
Date of completion:
31 March 2013

Documents

Establishing the cost effectiveness of property flood protection - technical report (2 MB) PDF

Payback period on installing PLP - report supplement (61 KB) PDF

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Details

The project provides an economic assessment of the role, effectiveness and the costs and benefits of property level flood protection. It reviews new evidence and updates the existing evidence on the costs and benefits of property level resistance and resilience measures.

The research examines all potential benefits from different kinds of resistance and resilience measures, including:

  • reduced physical damage from floodwater
  • longer time for water to enter the property
  • faster repair and return to property
  • enhanced property prices
  • availability of insurance and mortgages
  • reduced local authority emergency response and recovery costs

It also explores less tangible benefits, such as:

  • reduced demands on the health service associated with lower stress levels
  • local community cohesion
  • wider health and well-being benefits from lower levels of damage
  • anxiety

The cost / benefits analysis is made using economic appraisal techniques as set out in Defra’s ‘Policy Statement on Appraisal’ (2009). It also uses the Environment Agency’s ‘Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Guidance’ (FCERM-AG, EA 2010).

This research looks specifically at the emerging product market, including innovative products such as “fit and forget” measures. Also included is the role and impacts of the Kitemark scheme, aimed at providing reassurance about quality and effectiveness. The risk threshold, where such passive protection becomes more economic than measures requiring manual intervention by the householder, is explored.

This study helped to inform future government policy of providing property protection alongside the new Partnership Funding arrangements.

The project was started in 2011 and completed in 2013 at a cost of £44,750.

Published 26 February 2021
Contents