Corporate report

Flood and coastal erosion risk management report: 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022

Updated 26 September 2023

Applies to England

The Environment Agency use this report to summarise activities carried out by risk management authorities (RMAs) in England. Producing this report is a requirement of Section 18 of the Flood and Water Management Act (FWMA) 2010. This report is for the period 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022.

RMAs are:

• the Environment Agency
• lead local flood authorities (LLFAs)
• district councils (where there is no unitary authority)
• internal drainage boards (IDBs)
• water and sewerage companies
• highways authorities

RMAs work together to reduce the risk of flooding and coastal erosion. We also work with the regional flood and coastal committees (RFCCs).

The RFCCs:

• bring together RMAs and other local organisations to better understand flood and coastal erosion risks in their region
• ensure there are coherent plans to manage flood and coastal erosion risks across catchments and shorelines
• encourage efficient, targeted and risk-based investment that meets the needs of local communities
• assign funding through a local levy as set out in section 23 of the FWMA 2010

1. Executive summary

This year saw yet more extreme, record-breaking weather.

There were:

• red warnings
• gales
• rain
• snow
• England’s highest ever recorded gust of 122mph

There were also significant flood events in both July 2021 and February 2022, with flood defences across the country protecting over 50,000 properties.

In July 2021, parts of London received a month’s rain in just an hour. More than 1,500 properties suffered from surface water flooding as a result. In February 2022, the country experienced 3 named storms (Dudley, Eunice and Franklin) in one week for the first time ever. Over 370 properties were affected, mainly by river flooding.

These storms highlight the importance of our National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management strategy (FCERM Strategy). This strategy sets the direction for making our country more resilient to future flooding and coastal change. In May 2021, we published our Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy Action Plan. This plan set out the practical actions needed to implement the FCERM Strategy during 2021 to 2022. We have since set out our FCERM Strategy Roadmap to 2026, which replaces and builds on the initial 1-year plan.

The extreme weather and climate emergency we’re facing require new and innovative ways of working.

We have:

• recently completed a £15m programme to pilot natural flood management measures across England
• are investing £150m of government funding to develop 25 projects under our Flood and Coastal Innovation Programme - this will test improvements in flood and coastal erosion resilience across the country
• are developing a coastal transition accelerator programme - using a further £36m of government funding

The coastal transition accelerator programme will trial opportunities in a small number of coastal areas at significant risk of coastal erosion. This will help them transition and adapt to a changing climate.

2021 also marked the start of the new FCERM investment programme. Government announced a record £5.2 billion investment between April 2021 and March 2027. This investment in around 2,000 FCERM projects will better protect communities across England. In the first year, we worked with partners to better protect nearly 33,000 properties. This was despite the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

2. The year in context

This section describes significant flood events and flood policy announcements between April 2021 and March 2022.

2.1 Flooding between April 2021 and March 2022

England experienced some periods of heavy rain between April 2021 and March 2022.

Several areas in the country experienced flooding during these rainfall events. As a category 1 responder, we played an active role in the response to and recovery from these flood events.

We record information on flooding as part of our incident response. As we improve our understanding of flood events, the figures on flooded properties may change over time.

2.1.1 Summer 2021

There was significant rainfall in London throughout July and early August. This caused parts of the city to receive over a month’s worth of rain within a couple of hours.

This resulted in:

• 4 flood alerts issued on 12 July and a major incident declared by the London Fire Brigade
• 13 flood alerts and 2 flood warnings issued on 25 July

This rainfall overwhelmed drainage networks and caused surface water flooding. Under the FWMA 2010, LLFAs have responsibility for local flood risk management, including surface water flooding. In carrying out their responsibilities, LLFAs work with other RMAs, including water companies and highways authorities.

The incident response was led by the London Fire Brigade and local authorities (LAs). We worked with these emergency responders.

The London Flood Review, commissioned by Thames Water following these events, reported over 1,500 properties were flooded.

2.1.2 October 2021

Between 26 and 29 October 2021, Cumbria was affected by a band of persistent and heavy rainfall. This included the third wettest 6-day period recorded across Cumbria since 1891. This resulted in around 40 properties in Cumbria being flooded.

During this rainfall event we issued 11 flood warnings and 14 flood alerts.

Heavy rainfall was also experienced elsewhere in the country, with a further 40 properties flooded being flooded.

Flood defences protected over 3,000 properties from flooding.

2.1.3 Storms Dudley, Eunice and Franklin – February 2022

Between 16 and 21 February 2022 the country was hit by 3 named storms.

These resulted in:

• high tides
• heavy rainfall
• record river levels for parts of the country

The weather brought a severe flood risk for parts of the southwest coast and Bristol channel. Around 180% of February’s usual rainfall fell within 7 days.

The storms also brought high winds and caused major disruption to transport and infrastructure.

We worked with the Flood Forecasting Centre (FFC) to give partner organisations and responders:

• 5 days advance warning of significant flood risk
• 3 days advance warning of severe flood risk

In total we sent over 770,000 flood warning messages by phone, text and email. Working with partners, we set up over 1.7 km of demountable and temporary barriers. We used over 40 pumps to help drain water from flooded areas.

Severe flood warnings were issued for the Severn Estuary, East and West Didsbury, Bewdley and Ironbridge. Numerous flood warnings were issued for Derbyshire and South and West Yorkshire uplands.

Over 370 properties were flooded. The majority of these were in the West Midlands (around 200) and Yorkshire (around 150).

Flood defences protected around 35,000 properties from flooding across the country.

The majority of flooding that occurred during storms Dudley, Eunice and Franklin was caused by river flooding. Isolated properties suffered from surface water flooding.

We recorded the highest ever river levels at:

• River Severn - Crew Green, Shropshire
• River Severn - Montford, Shropshire
• River Mersey - Northenden, Greater Manchester

2.1.4 Recovery activities

Following these storm events, we carried out a range of recovery activities across the country. These covered:

• flood forecasting and warning
• assets
• learning
• health, safety and wellbeing

In total, we inspected over 6,000 assets and identified total recovery costs for our assets of around £8.2 million.

We are collecting all relevant learning from these storm events. This learning will inform our future flood event response activity.

2.2 National flood and coast erosion risk management strategy and action plan

The FWMA 2010 states that we must develop, apply, maintain, and monitor a strategy for FCERM in England. The current National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy for England (the FCERM Strategy) was adopted by Parliament and published on 25 September 2020.

The FCERM Strategy:

• contributes to our strategic overview role for all flood and coastal erosion risk management activities
• is a statutory framework to guide those involved in FCERM to achieve its ambitions on the ground
• complements and will help achieve the aims of government’s FCERM policy statement released on 14 July 2020

All RMAs have a duty to act consistently with the FCERM Strategy when carrying out their FCERM roles.

The FCERM Strategy’s long-term vision is for a nation ready for, and resilient to, flooding and coastal change – today, tomorrow and to the year 2100. It has 3 ambitions:

• climate resilient places
• today’s growth and infrastructure resilient in tomorrow’s climate
• a nation ready to respond and adapt to flooding and coastal change

RMAs will achieve these ambitions through delivery of 21 strategic objectives over the next 10 to 30 years. There are also 56 shorter term measures that set out the immediate steps RMAs will take against each objective.

On 12 May 2021, we published the Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy Action Plan 2021. The plan set out the initial actions needed to implement the FCERM Strategy during 2021 to 2022. The action plan has since been replaced by the FCERM Strategy Roadmap to 2026. This roadmap sets out the practical actions we will take to achieve the Strategy’s ambitions, working alongside a wide range of partners.

The initial 1-year plan included the following actions:

• the National Flood Forum will expand the network of community flood groups
• the Property Flood Resilience Roundtable will create training for the property flood resilience (PFR) industry
• partners in the Thames Estuary, Humber Estuary, Severn Valley and Yorkshire will start to develop long term plans for adapting to future flooding and coastal change and climate hazards
• the Local Government Association and the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT) will run workshops to help local authorities attract private sector investment and green finance
• the Town and Country Planning Association will develop on-line training materials for town planners on flood risk and climate change
• publish an interim lessons learned report on the £15m Natural Flood Management (NFM) programme carried out between 2017 and 2021

Despite the challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the initial 1-year Strategy Action Plan was completed on time.

2.3 Changes to government policy and announcements

Government’s FCERM policy statement sets the long-term ambition to create a nation more resilient to future flood and coastal erosion risk. The policy statement outlines 5 ambitious policies and a number of supporting actions. The FCERM Strategy sits alongside and supports government’s 2020 policy statement on flood and coastal erosion risk management.

Together, they call for the nation to embrace a broad range of resilience actions to better protect and prepare against flooding and coastal change.

In July 2021 government published an update on the progress that has been made to achieve the commitments set out in the policy statement. This update also sets out further steps being taken.

These include the publication of:

• an investment plan setting out what will be achieved from the £5.2 billion FCERM investment programme, how the portfolio of projects will be developed, and how investment will be managed and progress tracked
• an update report on surface water management - this includes progress to date with the Surface Water Management Action Plan and government’s response to the independent review into surface water and drainage responsibilities
• a review of policy for development in areas at flood risk, which found robust measures to protect from flooding and identified opportunities to further strengthen the planning system - these will be considered by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) and we will provide expert advice
• the terms of reference for a new advisory group which will bring together key bodies to inform future policy proposals for reforms to local flood risk management planning

3. Current risk and investment

This section provides information on flood risk, investment and partnership working.

3.1 Properties in areas 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.

Table 1: properties in areas at risk of flooding from rivers and the sea, and from surface water as of 31 March 2022

Level of risk	Annual likelihood of flooding (percentage)	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	Greater than 3.3	189,000	113,000	326,000	241,000
Medium	1 to 3.3	633,000	430,000	499,000	391,000
Low	0.1 to 0.99	1,020,000	780,000	2,348,000	1,874,000
Very low	Less than 0.1	641,000	533,000	not assessed	not assessed
Total	not applicable	2,483,000	1,856,000	3,173,000	2,506,000

Due to the complexity and nature of groundwater flooding, we are not able to assign a likelihood to it.

3.1.1 Changes in properties in areas at risk from flooding and coastal change

The numbers of properties in areas at risk from flooding and coastal change will change over time. This is due to a range of factors including:

• new development pressures
• changes to the natural environment
• the increasing impacts of climate change
• investment in building and maintaining flood and sea defences
• ageing defences that require maintenance or replacement
• better underlying information about properties

All these factors will influence the total number of properties at risk of flooding in any given year and in any given location.

We use flood mapping and modelling to understand the risk of flooding at national and local levels. We developed our current National Flood Risk Assessment (NaFRA) in the early 2000s. It provides risk information on flooding from rivers and the sea.

Since then, we have significantly improved our:

• mapping and modelling
• understanding of flood risk from other sources such as surface water

In 2018 this led to a significant national scale update to our measurement of flood risk.

Our NaFRA indicates there are 77,000 fewer properties with a medium to high risk of flooding from rivers and the sea in 2021 to 2022. This is compared with 2015 to 2016. A medium or high risk is equal to or greater than 1% annual likelihood of flooding.

Table 2: properties in areas at risk of flooding by source each year from 1 April to 31 March from 2015 to 2022

Source of flooding	Rivers and the sea	Rivers and the sea at high or medium risk	Surface water	Groundwater
Number of properties in areas at risk 2015 to 2016	2.7 million	899,000	3 million	122,000 – 290,000
Number of properties in areas at risk 2016 to 2017	2.7 million	897,000	3.2 million	122,000 – 290,000
Number of properties in areas at risk 2017 to 2018	2.6 million	897,000	3.2 million	122,000 – 290,000
Number of properties in areas at risk 2018 to 2019	2.5 million	872,000	3.2 million	122,000 – 290,000
Number of properties in areas at risk 2019 to 2020	2.5 million	852,000	3.2 million	122,000 – 290,000
Number of properties in areas at risk 2020 to 2021	2.5 million	846,000	3.2 million	122,000 – 290,000
Number of properties in areas at risk 2021 to 2022	2.5 million	822,000	3.2 million	122,000 – 290,000

Some properties are at risk from flooding from multiple sources. For example, we estimate that 660,000 properties are at risk from flooding both from rivers, the sea, and surface water. The figures for groundwater in table 2 may also include properties in areas at risk of flooding from other sources.

Between April 2015 and April 2021 government invested £2.6 billion in the FCERM investment programme. This money better protected more than 314,000 properties. We estimate that this investment has reduced the nation’s flood risk (annual average damages to properties) by 5%.

Government announced it is now investing £5.2 billion on the new 6-year FCERM investment programme in England from April 2021.

During the first year of the programme 32,920 properties were better protected. We have started work to update and improve how we calculate the risk reduction achieved from the investment programme.

We are currently developing a new NaFRA which should be available in 2024. We will be able to use this to track the causes of changes in our assessment of flood risk from surface water, rivers and the sea.

3.2 Investment in FCERM

The current 6-year programme of FCERM projects runs from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2027.

In the first year of this programme nearly 33,000 properties have benefited from better protection from flooding and coastal erosion. Within this, other RMAs carried out works that better protect 1,800 properties.

During this period, government invested £742 million of capital funding in FCERM.

This includes spend on:

• projects that better protect properties in 2021 and 2022
• the development of future projects
• the flood and coastal resilience innovation programme

This means you should not directly compare overall spend with the number of properties protected in the same year.

Of this £742 million, £189m went to other RMAs. LLFAs have also spent £28m of local levy funding. Local levy funding is spent on local priority flood and coastal erosion projects. It is managed by RFCCs.

Funding for FCERM projects is allocated through government’s partnership funding policy.

We review the programme of FCERM projects each year to make sure that we:

• get the best value for money
• better protect as many properties as possible
• invest in priority areas where the risk is highest

Table 3: FCERM capital investment from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022

Type of funding	Investment (£ millions)
Central government	£742
Local levy	£28
Funding from other sources	£53

Table 4: government investment in FCERM per Office for National Statistics (ONS) region from 1 April to 31 March each year in £ millions

ONS region	2021 to 2022 (£ millions)	Properties better protected
East Midlands	£71	6,430
East of England	£73	3,680
London	£32	4,380
North East	£13	110
North West	£108	2,600
South East	£115	9,460
South West	£94	3,610
West Midlands	£39	260
Yorkshire & Humber	£130	2,390
Other	£67	0
Total	£742	32,920

Government funding is used to reduce flood and coastal erosion risk across all regions of the country. We do not have any regional investment targets. All schemes are carefully assessed to make sure they benefit the most people and property.

Government funding has helped benefit areas of higher socio-economic deprivation across the country. Areas of deprivation are measured using the indices of multiple deprivation.

Between April 2021 and March 2022:

• £125m was spent to better protect 6,300 (19% of the 21/22 total) properties in the highest socio-economically deprived areas in England (0 to 20% index of multiple deprivation)
• £200m was spent to better protect 12,300 (37% of the 21/22 total) properties in the next highest socio-economically deprived areas (20 to 40% index of multiple deprivation)

3.2.1 Other benefits of FCERM investment

The main focus of our current investment programme is to better protect properties from flooding and coastal change. This investment programme will also provide other benefits to support local businesses, communities and economic growth. Benefits achieved in the first year are in Table 5.

Table 5: other benefits of FCERM investment from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022

Type of benefit	Scale of Benefit
Agricultural land (ha)	28,000
Commercial properties (No.)	5,600
Roads (km)	1,500
Rail (km)	90

3.2.2 Significant projects completed

Between April 2021 and March 2022, we worked with other RMAs to complete around 120 FCERM projects.

These projects better protected people and properties from:

• sea and tidal flooding (15,600 properties and 27 projects)
• river flooding (10,800 properties and 54 projects)
• surface water flooding (1,800 properties and 37 projects)
• coastal erosion (4,100 properties and 6 projects)
• reservoirs (240 properties and 1 project)
• groundwater (180 properties and 2 projects)

Case study 1: Exmouth Tidal Defence Project

Exmouth has a long history of tidal and surface water flooding. In 2015 we began working with East Devon District Council on the Exmouth Tidal Defence Project. The new tidal defence project is part of the Exe Estuary’s flood risk management strategy.

The project includes:

• new flood walls
• ground raising
• property flood resilience measures
• improved drainage to allow flood water on local roads to drain back out to sea
• new flood gates along the Esplanade

The project is designed to consider the impacts of climate change and sea level risk and allow improvements in the future if needed.

The project cost £12m and was completed in 2021. It has reduced the risk of tidal flooding to over 1,400 residential and 400 commercial properties in Exmouth.

3.2.3 Partnership funding

Funding for FCERM projects is allocated in line with government’s partnership funding policy. The amount of funding a project is allocated depends on the damages it will avoid and the benefits it will provide. The projects that are allocated government funding are those that:

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

The amount of government funding a project is eligible for is based on the benefits it provides. If a project is not eligible for full government funding, it will need partnership funding contributions to make up the difference. They come from those benefiting from the project, including:

• local partners
• the local community
• other organisations or businesses

Securing partnership funding is often central to the completion of many projects. Partnership funding contributions allow more communities to benefit from local FCERM measures that could not be funded by central government alone.

Since 2015 we have worked with partners to secure around £600 million in partnership funding. This includes £53m this year. This funding has come from various private and other non-central government sources. Around 60% of FCERM projects completed between 2015 and 2021 required partnership funding. This extra funding enabled us to exceed our target and better protect 314,000 homes by March 2021.

Case Study 2: Otley Flood Alleviation Scheme

The Otley flood alleviation project is on the River Wharfe, a few miles north of Leeds. It was developed in response to flooding of the River Wharfe, including during Storm Eva on Boxing Day 2015.

We worked in partnership with:

• Leeds City Council
• Yorkshire RFCC
• Yorkshire Water
• The Department for Education (DfE)

The project cost £4.5 million in total. Partnership funding contributed around half of this cost, with Leeds City Council contributing £1.5 million. Yorkshire RFCC, Yorkshire Water and the DfE also contributed to the cost of the scheme.

The project cuts off primary flooding and holds floodwater within the natural floodplain. It also includes the diversion of Kell Beck tributary into a new open channel.

Work was completed in November 2021. Overall, the project will better protect 58 properties. It also benefits local schools, roads and the hospital, and supports access to the town centre.

3.2.4 Asset management

We maintain around 74,000 assets that have a flood or coastal risk management purpose in England. These include:

• 5,000km of defences on main rivers
• 1,200km of tidal defences
• 600km of coastal defences
• 200km of culverts
• 24,000 structures, such as groynes, sluices, outfalls and screens

Between April 2021 and March 2022 we spent around £179 million on maintaining FCERM assets. The investment includes developing technology and maintenance activities, such as:

• inspecting, maintaining and operating assets

• channel maintenance

On average, each year we inspect over 175,000 flood risk management assets. We also maintain these assets, alongside other RMAs and third parties.

On 31 March 2022, 91.8% of our flood risk assets in high consequence flood risk management systems were in the required condition. A high consequence system is a location where there is a high concentration of properties. Several flood defences work together to reduce flood risk and better protect that area.

Assets that are below the required condition need extra maintenance work. It does not mean they have structurally failed or will not perform as required in a flood. If an asset’s performance is reduced, we will take action to manage flood risk until we repair or replace it.

We publish details of planned maintenance activities in the river and coastal maintenance programme.

3.3 Public sector cooperation agreements

The FWMA 2010 says RMAs must cooperate with each other when carrying out FCERM activities. RMAs can work together to provide flood risk maintenance and other activities. One example of partnership working is public sector cooperation agreements (PSCAs). The benefits of partnership working are now well established.

We use 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 6: summary of national PSCAs on 31 March 2022

PSCAs status	Internal drainage board	Lead local flood authority	Navigation authority	Total
PSCAs in place	31	5	3	39
PSCAs in principle	9	8	0	17
Renewals in progress	15	0	0	15

Since 2020/21, 26 PCSAs have ended by mutual consent as there are no plans for their future use.

3.4 Efficiency savings

We have to report to government about the efficiencies achieved through our FCERM programme. This is so that we achieve the best possible value for the investment of government funds.

We can achieve efficiencies through:

• national initiatives that allow operational improvements
• project specific activities

Savings are achieved through:

• innovation
• value engineering
• longer-term planning and packaging of work

We are aiming to achieve 10% efficiencies in the current investment programme.

Between April 2021 and March 2022, we have achieved £5.5m in efficiency savings. We have done this mainly by using different contract methods to gain greater value and risk sharing from our supply chain.

Efficiencies vary from year to year. They depend on:

• the FCERM funding allocation for that year
• individual project completion dates

4. FCERM strategy ambition 1 - climate resilient places

This section explains how RMAs are working together to increase resilience to flooding and coastal change, both now and in the future.

4.1 Climate change

Our climate is changing, sea levels are rising, and we are experiencing more extreme weather. In weather terms 2021 was an average year. But long-term records show that in the UK:

• temperatures are rising
• more rainfall in winter is falling in heavy events
• sea levels are rising more rapidly than in the past

The scale of potential future flooding and coastal change is significant. 1 in 6 people are already at risk of flooding from rivers and the sea. The risks will only increase with rising sea levels, more frequent and severe floods and storm surges. The Climate Change Committee’s 2021 Progress Report recognises these risks.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s 2021 report highlighted:

• the global scale of climate impacts to date
• those associated with additional warming

The report stated that adaptation action is needed now. The climate of the future depends on the actions we take now.

There are 2 main ways we can tackle climate change:

• mitigation – reducing or limiting the effects of greenhouse gases to reduce the impacts of a changing climate
• adaptation – changing lifestyles, economy, and infrastructure to adapt to the unavoidable impacts of climate change

We need to prepare for the changes that are already happening. We need to both mitigate and adapt to minimise risks from climate change.

4.1.1 Mitigation

In May 2021 we published our road map for cutting carbon emissions and reaching net zero by 2030. This document:

• sets out our plan to reduce our carbon emissions by at least 45% and to offset the rest
• lists the sources of our emissions and the tangible actions we will take to reduce them

An action plan, containing 92 actions, supports our net zero road map. We track and report progress quarterly.

Construction makes up 54% of our total emissions. We have prioritised reducing carbon during the construction of our flood risk management projects. The choices we make about the construction materials we use are very important. For example, over 80% of our carbon emissions from construction are contained in the concrete and steel used. To reduce this, we have changed our technical requirements for suppliers. We now specify low carbon concrete by default.

Adopting new low carbon technologies quickly is essential to reaching our net zero 2030 goal. Working with our supply chain partners, we are trialling low carbon construction materials and modern methods of construction. The trials are helping us build confidence with new techniques. This means we can accept them into our engineering standards more quickly. We share the lessons learned via case studies.

Nature-based solutions can offer carbon sequestration benefits, as well as being lower carbon/ zero carbon.

In September 2021, we launched our Carbon Academy Carbon Literacy training package for all 11,000 of our staff. We are aiming to become the first externally accredited “carbon literate” government body. By March 2022 more than a third of our staff had completed this training.

Case Study 3: Hythe Ranges sea defences

The Hythe Ranges are located on the South Coast a few miles from Folkestone. We worked in partnership with the Ministry of Defence to complete the Hythe Ranges scheme in March 2021.

The aim of the £25 million project is to reduce flood and erosion risks to the people, businesses and infrastructure of Romney Marshes for the next 100 years. Risk was reduced from 5% annual exceedance probability (AEP) to 0.5% AEP. 787 properties, the Ministry of Defence’s firing ranges and some historic monuments all benefited.

The project included:

• a recharge of the beach with 300,000m3 of shingle
• construction of 200m rock revetment from 37,000 tonnes of granite
• refurbishment and raising 30 timber groynes

We took significant steps to cut waste and mitigate the carbon impacts of the project.

To reduce waste, we reused around 5-10% of the demolished timber from the old groynes. 90% of the remainder recycled or re-used by third parties. For example, recycled timbers were used in the construction of benches which are now installed on the public promenade.

We also reduced the carbon impacts of the project by:

• analysing the embodied carbon in the rock supply
• redesigning the rock revetment
• reducing the number of replacement groynes
• using a low carbon concrete in the construction (the largest volume on a scheme to date at 35m3)

We also used other low-carbon elements including:

• replacing traditional diesel generators with mains electricity and solar powered site cabins
• monitoring work via CCTV cameras, saving an estimated 5,000 miles travelled and 2 tonnes of CO2e
• carrying out a remote health and safety audit of construction using tablet computers to save 500 miles travelled

4.1.2 Adaptation and resilience

The FCERM Strategy:

• plans for a 2˚C global temperature increase by 2100
• prepares for more extreme scenarios of climate change
• calls for an assessment of a range of climate impacts

This will make sure our approach to FCERM can adapt to a range of climate futures. We’re doing this in both our planning advice for new developments and for the design of new FCERM projects and strategies. We have ensured this guidance reflects the latest climate science.

In July 2021, we updated our guidance for RMAs on how to account for climate change in projects and strategies when applying for FCERM funding. We updated our peak river flow allowances to reflect the UK Climate Projections 2018. The guidance is in line with our partnership funding and appraisal guidance. This supports the FCERM Strategy’s ambition to plan for a range of climate futures.

In the March 2020 budget, government announced a £200 million Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Fund over 6 years (2021 to 2027). The aim of the programme is to improve the resilience of places to flooding and coastal change by sharing their evidence and learning. This will also help inform future approaches to and investment in FCERM.

We will carry out this programme of work, which contains 3 elements:

• 25 innovative action projects
• adaptation pathway plans
• coastal transition accelerator programme

Flood and coastal resilience innovation programme

£150 million of the funding will be used to develop 25 projects. In March 2021, the Secretary of State (SoS) announced the 25 projects selected. Each project will develop and test innovative approaches to improve community resilience to flooding and coastal erosion. They will do this by developing, testing, and implementing resilience actions that are outside the scope of what central government usually funds.

The 25 projects include:

• projects are piloting PFR to reduce the impacts of groundwater flooding
• developing nature-based solutions with rural land managers to improve resilience to floods and drought
• developing surface water flood warnings for remote communities
• creating new habitat to increase shoreline resilience and better protect local coastal economies
• trailing new and innovative financing to improve flood and coastal resilience

The programme will share evidence and learning to inform future approaches to, and investments in FCERM.

Adaptation pathway plans

£8 million of the funding will be used to develop adaptation pathway plans in 4 strategic locations. These are:

• River Thames
• River Severn
• River Humber
• Yorkshire

These will help to develop long term investment plans for climate adaptation. This will help policy makers and practitioners improve how we adapt to future flood risk and plan for end of century options.

The adaptation pathway plans will help us and other RMAs plan for, better protect, respond to, and recover from flooding and coastal change. They will also help to identify the right investment choices in flood and coastal resilience. This will:

• achieve the maximum benefit for people and places at the right time
• help to achieve strategic objectives and measures in the FCERM Strategy

Coastal transition accelerator programme

£36 million of the funding will be used to develop a coastal transition accelerator programme. This will trial opportunities, in a small number of coastal areas at significant risk of coastal erosion, to transition and adapt to a changing climate.

The initial areas of focus will be North Norfolk and East Riding of Yorkshire. This funding will allow work with coastal communities that cannot be sustainably defended from coastal erosion. Both councils will work with residents, businesses and asset owners to set out a long-term coastal adaptation plan. They will also take immediate on the ground actions to support the long-term resilience of coastal communities.

Actions could include:

• rolling back property and facilities at short term risk of coastal erosion
• improving and replacing damaged community infrastructure such as steps and ramps to the beach
• repurposing land where property has been removed for community and nature benefit
• trialling innovative moveable buildings
• working with planners and the financial sector to have mechanisms and tools to support future adaptation and prevent inappropriate development in places at risk

Other coastal communities and RMAs will benefit from the lessons learnt during this this programme.

4.2 Coastal change

The National Coastal Erosion Risk Map (NCERM) currently shows that about 2,000 properties are at risk of being lost to coastal erosion by 2060. This assumes all current shoreline management plan (SMP) policies are carried out.

We have commissioned consultants to start updating the NCERM. By the end of 2023, we will have:

• updated the NCERM to ensure it reflects the latest evidence on coastal erosion and sea level rise
• worked with coastal monitoring partners to account for the latest evidence on coastal processes
• used the new NCERM to update the assessment of projected numbers of residential and non-residential properties and infrastructure at risk from erosion this century

Coast protection authorities (CPAs) have permissive powers. These powers allow them to carry out flood and coastal erosion risk management works. Some CPAs in England have also helped manage adaptation by introducing local planning mechanisms. These can include helping people move further inland from areas of risk along the coast.

4.2.1 Shoreline management plans (SMPs)

SMPs set out the local approach to coastal adaptation, investment, and spatial planning into the next century. They identify the most sustainable management approach for each stretch of coastline in England.

The management approaches cover the:

• short-term (0 to 20 years)
• medium term (20 to 50 years)
• long term (50 to 100 years)

CPAs and other important stakeholders have led the development of SMPs. This was done in 7 regional coastal groups across England.

We are working with coastal authorities to refresh the SMPs developed between 2006 and 2012. We are coordinating this work with support from the coastal groups.

The review will make sure that SMPs are up to date and use the best available evidence in their recommendations. This will support planning and investment at the coast into the next century.

Since January 2021, coastal groups have used revised guidance to clarify the management approaches in each SMP. Since June 2021, SMP groups have also been working to update the action plans linked to the SMPs. This is capturing new actions addressing areas of concern highlighted through the review.

We are building on work previously undertaken to develop an online platform for SMPs. The SMP Explorer will provide a new online platform for SMPs. This means they can be more easily updated, accessed and understood by coastal managers and local planners. We have used feedback from the groups to update the prototype. We are carrying out user research to make sure the SMPs are easy to access and understand.

4.2.2 Coastal habitats

RMAs look for opportunities to incorporate nature-based solutions when planning and constructing a new FCERM project that creates or enhances coastal habitats. They do this through making space for nature or incorporating features that enable habitats to form.

FCERM projects can also cause loss of valuable coastal habitat. We must compensate for this loss when we build and maintain FCERM assets.

This includes:

• any lost habitats

• a loss in the quality of habitats

Most losses happen due to coastal squeeze. This is where flood risk management assets prevent the natural landward migration of intertidal habitats. We normally compensate for this loss by creating and restoring habitat as part of the Habitat Compensation and Restoration Programme (HCRP). The HCRP covers both freshwater and intertidal habitats.

Habitat restoration may involve improving existing habitats and the creation of new habitat. This can link, enhance, extend and improve the resilience of the protected site network.

Overall, the HCRP has successfully kept pace with losses at internationally protected sites. These sites are identified within the 2005 to 2025 SMP planning horizon and FCERM strategies in most parts of England.

As of March 2022, the HCRP has created:

• 1,317 ha of inter-tidal habitat
• 448 ha of freshwater grazing marsh
• 232 ha of other coastal habitats

We will be reassessing intertidal habitat gains and losses during 2023. The results will be published in next year’s report.

4.2.3 Inter-tidal saltmarsh and mudflats

Our knowledge of saltmarsh restoration and the benefits that this brings has improved significantly over time. Saltmarshes can:

• store carbon
• filter out excess nutrients
• provide other social and environmental benefits

We have created over 900 hectares of inter-tidal habitat (saltmarsh and mudflats) since the early 2000s. Despite this progress, we expect to continue to lose coastal habitat as a result of sea level rise over time.

4.2.4 Other coastal habitats

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

• saline lagoons and vegetated shingle
• freshwater habitats such as reed bed and coastal grazing marsh

We have created 600 hectares of these habitats since the early 2000s. These have compensated for losses associated with coastal erosion and coastal change. These are mainly reed bed 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 projects.

4.3 Natural Flood Management (NFM)

Natural Flood Management (NFM) can manage flood and coastal erosion risk by protecting, restoring and emulating the natural processes of:

• catchments
• rivers
• floodplains
• coasts

It includes:

• re-meandering of rivers
• restoration of wetlands
• targeted woodland planting

Investing in NFM can also provide wider benefits. These include:

• improving habitats and biodiversity
• increasing water quality and availability of drinking water
• improving health and wellbeing

The FCERM Strategy will help achieve the aims and ambitions of the 25 Year Environment Plan by embracing nature-based solutions.

Government announced £15 million of funding for NFM in the Autumn Statement 2016. We used this funding to run the 2017 to 2021 NFM Programme, which included 60 projects. We have evaluated this programme and will include the outcomes in the next report.

There were 130 NFM related projects in the 1 April 2015 to March 2021 FCERM capital investment programme, including the NFM programme. In the FCERM policy statement government committed to double the number of projects using nature-based solutions to reduce flood and coastal erosion risk.

This means we have a target that by Spring 2027, at least 260 projects will have been completed through the FCERM investment programme.

We will continue work on mainstreaming NFM. We have already made progress in doing this:

• in January 2019 we published the interim lessons learnt from the 2017 to 2021 NFM Programme on GOV.UK

• in June 2021 we published guidance on using natural options to reduce flooding, who to contact for advice, and if you can get funding

4.4 Agriculture and land management

Farming in Britain is undergoing significant change. The Agricultural Transition Plan sets out government’s ambitions for new financial incentives. It also considers the importance of food security and enhancing our natural environment. The FCERM Strategy recognises the importance of agriculture and land management. It makes it clear farmers have a role in mitigating flood risk whilst increasing the resilience of their own farm.

Between April 2021 and March 2022 we better protected around 28,000 hectares of Grade 1, 2 and 3 agricultural land from flooding. This work was carried out through the FCERM investment programme

4.4.1 Environmental Land Management Schemes (ELMs)

We are working with Defra and other government agencies on the design of the new Environmental Land Management schemes (ELMs). Defra is introducing 3 new schemes that will pay for environmental and climate goods and services.

These are:

• Sustainable Farming Incentive, which will help farmers to adopt and maintain sustainable farming practices that can protect and enhance the natural environment
• Countryside Stewardship, which will pay for more targeted actions relating to specific locations, features and habitats
• Landscape Recovery, which will pay for bespoke, longer-term, larger scale projects to enhance the natural environment

4.4.2 Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF)

In 2020 the CSF scheme was expanded to include advice on flood mitigation. This includes NFM advice and guidance for farmers and land managers. Since the inclusion of NFM into CSF, 17 NFM projects across England have benefitted from support from CSF Advisors.

4.5 Improving the environment

We work with other RMAs to look for opportunities to create and improve habitat as part of our FCERM work. We often form partnerships with groups such as wildlife and rivers trusts. Between April 2021 to March 2022 we have carried out many environmental improvements.

These include:

• enhancing 30km of rivers
• enhancing 392ha of habitat
• creating 368ha of habitat

Examples of these improvements include:

• removing or modifying weirs to make it easier for fish to migrate upstream
• implementing nature-based flood solutions that create and/or restore habitat and reduce flood risk downstream

4.6 Strategic planning: flood risk management plans

We have worked together with LLFAs and other RMAs to produce draft flood risk management plans (FRMPs) for public consultation. The consultation ran from 22 October 2021 to 21 January 2022. The consultation gathered views from stakeholders to help inform a final set of plans and actions to manage flood risk between 2021 to 2027.

The plans will help us develop and improve our existing programmes of work. This includes the programme of flood and coastal erosion risk management schemes, and work with local communities to improve resilience.  The plans will also:

• explore wider resilience measures like nature-based solutions for flood and water
• set out longer term adaptive approaches for taking action at the right time

We received 255 responses in total, including 42 from members of the public and 190 from organisations.

These included:

• local government
• RMAs
• the farming industry
• catchment partnerships
• local wildlife groups
• regional flood and coastal committees

The main themes raised in the responses were:

• partnerships – the value of working in partnership to plan and implement flood risk management solutions
• engagement – the value of engagement and working in partnership with all organisations and government departments
• nature-based solutions – support for the implementation of nature-based solutions, including natural flood management techniques, so more biodiversity and environmental benefits can be achieved across the flood and water environment
• catchment-based approach – support for and a greater emphasis on this approach for flood risk management
• alignment - the need to align with other plans and strategies so implementation is effective, for example, local nature recovery strategies, and shoreline management plans
• land management – the need to consider all land uses, when assessing and managing flood risk, including the benefits of agricultural land
• climate change and adaptation – the importance of working together across all organisations to adapt and having better information on factors such as the carbon footprint of the measures
• funding – the need to identify funding and resources for timely implementation of measures
• readability – the ability to find information in the plans and within flood plan explorer

The plans were published in December 2022.

5. Ambition 2 – today’s growth and infrastructure resilient in tomorrow’s climate

This ambition is about making the right investment and planning decisions to secure: - sustainable growth and environmental improvements - infrastructure resilient to flooding and coastal change

5.1 Promoting safe development resilient to flooding and coastal change

Our Long Term Investment Scenarios (LTIS) predict that the number of homes in the floodplain will almost double over the next 50 years.

Climate change will also increase the:

• size of flood risk areas
• frequency and severity of flooding
• complexity of the flood risk issues needing to be tackled

Spatial planning will help us minimise the flood damages that these trends could cause. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) makes it clear that we should avoid inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding.

Where development has to take place in flood risk areas, it should:

• be designed to be safe throughout its lifetime
• not increase flood risk elsewhere

Development design should be flood resistant and resilient. This will minimise flood damage and speed up recovery in the event of flooding.

We have an important role as a statutory planning advisor to local planning authorities (LPAs). We support sustainable development by engaging with, and advising, developers and planners. By doing this, we help to support sustainable growth in the right places.

Investing in flood risk planning advice makes good economic sense. For every £1 we spend providing advice, around £12 of future flood damages are avoided.

We comment 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

We are not a statutory consultee:

• on development in flood zone 1 which we expect to be at risk of flooding from rivers or the sea in the future
• when proposed development could be at risk from other sources of flooding such as ground or surface water

LLFAs are a statutory consultee on major development with surface water drainage.

We respond to approximately 11,000 planning applications each year. We provide detailed flood risk advice for around 7,000. Our flood risk planning advice helps to avoid around 40,000 homes from being built each year in an unsafe way or location.

During 2021 to 2022, 7% of new homes were built in Flood Zone 3. Properties in this zone are at:

• 1% or greater probability of flooding from rivers
• 0.5% or greater probability of flooding from the sea

This is unchanged from the previous year but is a reduction from the 9% recorded in 2019/20 and the 11% recorded in 2016/17.

Between April 2021 and March 2022:

• 96.6% of all planning decisions were in line with our advice on flood risk
• 98.0% of new homes proposed in planning applications complied with our advice on flood risk
• we are aware of planning permissions for 453 homes that were granted against our advice on flood risk

We record a sample of planning application outcomes. This:

• gives us an overview of how effective our advice is
• helps us focus our efforts on positively influencing development proposals

We recorded decisions for 817 planning applications where we lodged flood risk objections. These cases totalled 22,314 homes overall. Between 1 April 2016 and 31 March 2022, we recorded the LPA’s final decision for around 59% of the applications we objected to on flood risk grounds.

We publish a list of all applications where we’ve lodged initial objections on flood risk grounds. Often, the issues are resolved before a final decision is made.

Table 7: planning applications reviewed by the Environment Agency between 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022

Type of Action	Total
Planning applications responded to	9,586
Planning applications which required detailed flood risk advice	6,522
Number of planning decisions recorded that related to flood risk objections	817
Number of homes granted planning permission contrary to our flood risk advice	453
Number of planning decisions recorded in line with our advice	789
Number of planning decisions made contrary to our flood risk advice	28
% of planning applications determined in line with our advice	96.6%
% of residential properties in planning applications in line with our advice	98.0%

The SoS for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has the power to call in (take over) planning applications.

LPAs must refer certain planning applications to the SoS if we have objected on flood risk grounds. LPAs are responsible for identifying relevant planning applications and for following the statutory process set out in The Town and Country Planning Direction 2021.

Between April 2021 and March 2022, 26 planning applications were called in by the SoS in relation to flood risk. A further 5 cases were referred to the SoS. The SoS decided not to intervene in 4 of those cases. A decision on whether to call the application in has not yet been made for the final case. You can read more information on called-in cases and decisions.

5.1.1 Planning policy, guidance and research

We worked with the Town and Country Planning Association to produce an introductory video, ‘Planning for the climate emergency’. The video explains how and why planning must consider flood risk. It is aimed primarily at LA planning officers and elected members. It will also be useful for anyone with an interest in planning and flood risk.

We have also worked with the Planning Portal to improve its guidance on flood risk and sustainable drainage systems. Many planning applicants submit their planning applications through the Planning Portal. It is an effective way to ensure applicants appropriately consider these issues early in the process.

This guidance should help applicants supply sufficient information on flood risk and sustainable drainage. In turn, this should increase the speed and efficiency of the planning process.

We have worked with partners to publish several new products. Together, these will help LPAs assemble robust and up-to-date evidence on flood risk. This will inform local plan preparation and decisions on individual applications.

These products include:

• the research project using flood risk information in spatial planning in November 2021
• the strategic flood risk assessment good practice guide we developed with ADEPT in December 2021
• our recently updated how to prepare a strategic flood risk assessment guidance
• our updated national flood risk standing advice for LPAs in February 2022

5.2 Property Flood Resilience

5.2.1 Pathfinder projects

In 2019 government funded 3 LA led PFR pathfinder projects. The aim of these projects was to:

• carry out research into PFR measures
• engage productively with communities and industry
• develop tools to increase their uptake
• provide practical, hands-on guidance and advice on property flood resilience

These projects finished in early 2022. They created a range of high quality, accessible and materials. These can be used to engage with home and business owners about making their properties more resilient to flooding.

The materials include:

• Missy’s Tale – an animation, created by Aardman, showing the benefit of PFR measures

Missy’s Tale

• Floodmobile – a demonstration trailer showcasing over 50 PFR measures
• Hazard & Hope – a series of short films looking at how we can become resilient to a changing climate

Case study 4: Floodmobile

Our Oxford-Cambridge project team commissioned the creation of a ‘Floodmobile’. This is an interactive demonstration vehicle which provides examples of over 50 practical property flood resilience measures.

These include:

• pumps
• barriers
• air bricks
• flood doors
• non-return valves

We use the ‘Floodmobile’ to bring to life what can be done in any home or business premises. It also lets us talk directly to anyone concerned about flooding.

During 2021 and early 2022, the ‘Floodmobile’ visited a number of communities across the country at high risk of flooding. We talked to property owners about flood risk and the practical measures they can use to make their properties more resilient.

We also provide an interactive 360-degree virtual tour for those who are not able to access the ‘Floodmobile’ in person.

5.2.2 Improving skills and capabilities

We have worked with the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) to develop property flood resilience training. This training will help partners to follow the PFR code of practice.

The training is targeted at 2 audiences:

• RMA staff involved in managing PFR projects
• surveyors, suppliers and installers involved in carrying out PFR projects

Foundation training is also available. This introduces attendees to the elements of PFR. It will need to be completed before starting the technical training, which we are currently developing.

5.3 Reservoir safety

We regulate large, raised reservoirs (LRRs) in England.

This is a requirement of the Reservoirs Act 1975, which aims to ensure that dams and reservoirs are safe. Responsibility for the safety of reservoirs lies with their undertakers which are the owners or operators of the reservoir.

Between April 2021 and March 2022, we regulated 2,117 LRRs. We own 218 of these. The remainder are third-party owned.

Our role, as the enforcement authority, is to ensure undertakers follow the legal safety requirements. We will report on the enforcement action we take against non-compliant cases in our next biennial report. This is due in summer 2023.

Previous information can be found in the Biennial report on reservoir safety: 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2020. From 2023, this report will be published annually.

The Act and Regulation 14 of Statutory Instrument 2013 No. 1677 state reservoir owners and operators must report incidents at LRRs. Since 2013, an average of 8 incidents have been reported each year.

Eleven incidents were reported to us between April 2021 and March 2022. Emergency measures were required at one serious incident (level 2). This was at a non-statutory reservoir, which is one which holds less than 25,000m3 water. There were no serious consequences in this event.

Ten level 3 incidents occurred, which is when the undertaker takes precautionary measures. Reservoir owners have 12 months following an incident to provide a full and comprehensive post incident report.

Details of these incidents are in our post-incident reporting for reservoirs: annual report.

In May 2021, government issued a new ministerial direction. This requires reservoir owners to prepare and maintain emergency on-site flood plans. These plans:

• describe the type of reservoir
• everything on site
• what to do in an emergency

This will enable a rapid response to manage any on-site incidents and related flood risks. We will report on progress with these plans next year.

In June 2020, government published the independent reservoir safety review report. It reviewed whether the regulation of reservoirs remains effective. There were 15 recommendations. We worked with government during 2021 to turn these recommendations into an action plan, which will begin in 2022.

We have updated and improved our existing flood maps. These allow owners and operators to review any flood risk to the surrounding area. These maps were published on 9 November 2021 with supporting guidance: reservoir flood maps: when and how to use them.

5.4 Surface water management action plan

Surface water flooding is the most widespread form of flooding in England, with over 3 million properties in areas at risk. We know that this risk will increase due to climate change and population growth.

LLFAs are responsible for managing surface water, ordinary watercourses and groundwater flooding on the ground.

We have a legal supervision over all sources of flooding, which includes from surface water. This ‘strategic overview’ role is distinct from the day-to-day operational role we have for managing flood risk from rivers and the sea.

Our FCERM Strategy, FCERM Strategy Roadmap and government’s FCERM policy statement set the future direction for managing surface water flood risk. RMAs are starting work on the £5.2 billion FCERM investment programme (2021-2027).

Over the reporting period, a range of actions in government’s Surface Water Management Action Plan (SWMAP) have been progressed or completed. The SWMAP sets out the steps government is taking, with us and others, to manage the risk of surface water flooding.

The actions included:

• publishing updated local flood risk management strategy guidance
• publishing guidance and principles for the development of draft drainage and wastewater management plans
• testing and piloting faster ways to communicate existing forecasts of surface water flooding
• supporting communities to improve the resilience of homes and businesses to surface water flooding
• advising government on strengthening planning policy for flood risk, such as the comprehensive update to Planning Practice Guidance on Flood Risk and Coastal Change
• supporting developers to meet the NPPF requirements for sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) through our collaboration with CIRIA Susdrain and the Association of SuDS Authorities

In July 2021, government confirmed its commitment to tackle surface water flood risk when it published an update on surface water management. This includes progress with the surface water management action plan. Government also published a response to the independent Jenkins’ review into surface water and drainage responsibilities.

5.5 Flood risk activities – environmental permitting

We regulate work on or near main rivers using environmental permits.

Between April 2021 and March 2022, we issued 2171 bespoke permits. There were also 1362 registered exemptions.

We continue to monitor and take enforcement action against unauthorised activity in rivers and floodplains. This can include illegal ground filling in the floodplain or taking material from within the river without the necessary permissions.

We continue to improve our service, to ensure our customers and partners receive value for money. During the reporting period, we have put many improvements in place. This includes implementing a new IT system and amending some exemptions in the environmental permit regulations (EPR).

We continue to invest in digital and IT solutions to improve the service we provide to customers.

Our aim is to ensure our customer’s journey is positive and they get their permits in a timely and organised manner. In the forthcoming year we are looking to reform the operational delivery of our permitting service for some of our river and coastal work.

5.5.1 Publication of byelaws

The regional flood defence and land drainage byelaws were set up by the regional water authorities. They have since been passed to us. There are 9 sets of regional byelaws in England. In 2016 some individual byelaws transferred to the EPR. This means only a small number remain operational. These include those that protect our equipment and property.

Until recently these byelaws only existed in old written publications with little visibility to the general public. We have now published these 9 sets of byelaws online. This will help us raise awareness of the potential harm that some actions can cause.

5.6 Water companies contribution to reducing risk

Under the FWMA 2010, water companies are RMAs. This means they have to act in a way that is consistent with the FCERM Strategy. They also have a duty to cooperate with other RMAs.

Between April 2021 and March 2022 water companies have:

• worked with partners to reduce flood risk to communities and enhance the environment
• enhanced the resilience of their networks and services to flooding
• responded to flooding incidents over another challenging winter period
• developed their drainage and waste water management plans (DWMPs), publishing the options development appraisal (ODA) phase of the plans
• continued to innovate and share good practice

Between April 2021 and March 2022, water companies invested:

• £65.2 million to reduce the risk of sewer flooding to properties
• £295.8 million to maintain the public sewer system to prevent blockages and flooding
• £7 million in property-level protection and mitigation measures to reduce the likelihood of customers’ homes experiencing sewer flooding

There have been some good examples of innovation and partnership working this year. These include:

• Anglian Water’s work with the Future Fens Integrated Adaptation Project
• United Utilities and Severn Trent Water’s work in the Moors for the Future partnership
• nature-based solutions and decision support tools

An example includes Wessex Water’s application of the natural flood management and sustainable urban drainage studio tool. This is a move from traditional solutions to more catchment and nature-based solutions. It will provide more integrated outcomes for communities and the environment.

Some water companies are committing to innovation in flood and coastal risk management. This is through direct involvement in local resilience projects started through the £150 million Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme.

6. Ambition 3 - a nation ready to respond and adapt to flooding and coastal change

This ambition is about ensuring local people understand:

• their risk of flooding and coastal change
• their responsibilities
• how to take action

6.1 Skills and capacity in LLFAs

LLFAs are responsible for achieving approximately half of the benefits in the £5.2 billion FCERM investment programme. RMAs need the capacity and capability to complete the programme themselves or have arrangements with others to complete work on their behalf. We are supporting other RMAs to develop projects by streamlining the FCRM project process and improving access to guidance, tools and training.

We have published formal guidance and tools on GOV.UK to help support RMAs as they develop FCERM projects. An on-line community gives access to training resources such as eLearning, webinars and podcasts that were only available to our staff before.

As of March 2022, 61% of RMAs with at least 1 project in the FCERM investment programme have joined this community. Since May 2020 there have been over 79,000 visits with the learning and development pages being the most viewed.

In March 2022 we published a significant update to the FCERM appraisal guidance. The appraisal guidance helps project teams develop their project options, assess costs and benefits and identify the most beneficial option. The guidance is now significantly shorter and easier to read. It now includes updated approaches such as for climate change, carbon and natural flood management.

6.2 Using digital technology to warn and inform

The way we use digital technology continues to evolve. We have developed and improved our services in several ways, including:

• how we warn the public about expected flooding through our flood warning service
• our flood risk information services on GOV.UK
• making our flood information available as open data

6.2.1 Flood warning service

We have continued to improve our flood warning service based on user feedback.

In February 2022 the Flood Warning System moved to Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud platform. This change achieved increased resilience on an already highly resilient service. The newly migrated Flood Warning System was tested during the February 2022 storms and performed well with no issues experienced.

We are working with the Cabinet Office and wider government on a UK–wide mass alerting system. The service is called Emergency Alerts. It will warn people if there’s a danger to life near their location, including when on the move as they enter an at-risk area. People will not need to register for this service. In an emergency, a person’s phone or tablet will receive an alert with advice about how to stay safe.

We supported partners in the first public trials of the Emergency Alerts service during summer 2021. We expect to be the first organisation in the UK to use the new service for flood related emergencies.

We are also looking to replace our current Flood Warning System in the coming years. We are starting to review what we want a future system to do, so we can improve the way we prepare and communicate flood warnings.

6.2.2 Flood warnings issued and number of properties registered for them

Being prepared helps reduce the impacts of flooding and enables faster recovery. We encourage people to register for our free flood warning service. Alerts and warnings enable the public to take action to protect themselves and their possessions. Our flood warning service covers:

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

The flood warning service does not cover surface water flooding. LLFAs are responsible for flooding from surface water.

As of March 2022, there were over 1.54 million properties registered to receive free flood warnings. This includes phone numbers registered in areas at risk from flooding that are automatically opted-in.

6.2.3 Flood alerts, flood warnings and severe flood warnings issued

Between April 2021 to March 2022, we issued:

• 2,129 flood alerts
• 653 flood warnings
• 14 severe flood warnings

Find out what to do in a flood and what the different types of warnings mean.

Table 8: number of flood alerts, flood warnings and severe flood warnings for the period 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022

Month and Year	Number of Flood Alerts	Number of Flood Warnings	Number of Severe Flood Warnings
April 2021	36	4
May 2021	103	12
June 2021	83	7
July 2021	96	8
August 2021	29	3
September 2021	28	3
October 2021	423	125
November 2021	203	52
December 2021	365	66
January 2022	158	31
February 2022	522	336	14
March 2022	83	6

Table 9: comparison of flood alerts, flood warnings and severe flood warnings issued 1 April to 31 March each year between 2012 and 2022

Years	Number of flood alerts	Number of flood warnings	Number of severe flood warnings
2012 to 2013	4527	2093	15
2013 to 2014	3832	1897	147
2014 to 2015	2154	343	0
2015 to 2016	3432	1285	103
2016 to 2017	2037	496	25
2017 to 2018	2263	421	0
2018 to 2019	1844	366	0
2019 to 2020	4834	2455	27
2020 to 2021	2843	1176	10
2021 to 2022	2129	653	14

6.2.4 Messages sent

Between April 2021 and March 2022 we sent 4,935,396 messages to the public, partners and the media. These messages informed them of flooding in their area and the flood warning service they can receive. This includes messages sent via text, email and automated telephone call.

Table 10: number of messages sent for the period 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022

Month and year	Total number of messages sent and attempts to send
April 2021	155,831
May 2021	207,792
June 2021	185,794
July 2021	206,587
August 2021	83,387
September 2021	119,307
October 2021	681,851
November 2021	448,394
December 2021	642,887
January 2022	443,217
February 2022	1,492,385
March 2022	267,964

Table 11: comparison of messages sent 1 April to 31 March each year between 2012 and 2022

Year	Number of messages sent
2012 to 2013	5,737,247
2013 to 2014	6,265,909
2014 to 2015	2,492,965
2015 to 2016	5,145,689
2016 to 2017	2,710,342
2017 to 2018	4,403,657
2018 to 2019	2,987,759
2019 to 2020	10,713,780
2020 to 2021	6,882,140
2021 to 2022	4,935,396

6.3 Flood risk information service

Between April 2021 and March 2022, we continued to improve the 3 main flood risk information services on GOV.UK.

These are:

• check for flooding (replacing the Flood Information Service in October 2021)
• check your long term flood risk for an area in England
• flood map for planning

Table 12: flood information/check for flooding service user totals each year from 1 January to 31 December between 2018 and 2022

Year	Total number of users	Total page views
2018	1.6 million	18 million
2019	5.0 million	48 million
2020	6.2 million	65 million
2021	3.2 million	37.3 million

In October 2021 we launched a new version of the flood information service on GOV.UK. The check for flooding service has a new platform and design. It addresses user feedback on flood warnings, river and sea level information and the 5-day flood forecast. These improvements make it easier for users to find the information they need. It is more accessible and optimised for mobile devices.

New and improved features include:

• an improved and more localised version of the 5-day flood forecast
• observed rainfall information
• historic impact information on the river level pages
• improved map functionality
• the ability to navigate up and downstream on a river more easily

Case study 5: Check for flooding

We launched our new Check for Flooding service in October 2021. This was a replacement for the previous Flood Information Service which had been running since 2015.

Check for flooding will:

• provide timely, up-to-date flood information in one online location
• include local knowledge from communities and information from partners
• help people to understand their flood risk easily, act and recover from flooding

We used feedback from users of the previous service to develop Check flood flooding.

The new service:

• provides a clearer user journey, that helps users from all background find the information they need
• targets less engaged, harder to reach users
• provides a national summary page, designed for category 1 and 2 responders, the media and our staff
• has been built for use on mobile devices, as 70% of users access the service this way

We have developed a new location page which brings together all relevant information for the location the user has entered. It also means that any calls to action are clear and helps users find more information if they need it.

6.4 FCERM Research and Development Programme

The FCERM Research and Development Programme is run by:

• Defra
• Environment Agency
• Welsh Government
• Natural Resources Wales

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.

As well as running our own projects our researchers work in partnership with industry, academia and other agencies. In March 2021, the FCERM research and development programme launched a dedicated webpage on GOV.UK

6.5.1 Research publication highlights

In April 2021 we published evidence to better understand adaptive approaches to flood and coastal risk management. This research is helping us to explore the benefits of adaptive approaches and how to implement them in flood and coastal erosion risk management.

In May 2021, we published a review of the evidence behind carbon offsetting. This will help us understand which carbon offsetting approaches we may want to focus on when developing our offsetting strategy.

The recommendations from our review of how flooding information is used in spatial planning have already been used to:

• update flood risk assessment guidance and flood risk standing advice
• create a good practice guide for strategic flood risk assessments

In January 2022 we presented a webinar giving an overview of our research which assessed the effectiveness of flood and coastal erosion risk governance in England and Wales. The findings will be valuable for informing the implementation of the latest national FCERM strategies.

webinar

In March 2022 we published a roadmap and action plan that sets out a vision for flood hydrology in the UK for the next 25 years. It is accompanied by an action plan that details how that vision will be achieved.

6.5 International learning

We have strong links with several international organisations and agencies. We develop and maintain valued relationships with many of our international partners.

These include the:

• Dutch flood agency, Rijkswaterstaat
• United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
• Australian Bureau of Meteorology

We have non-legal memoranda of understanding to support these relationships.

We have actively engaged with these organisations for many years. We exchange knowledge and technical expertise in flood and coastal risk management. The topics and issues covered include:

• flood assets
• nature based solutions
• coastal processes
• incident management and response

We have played an important role in developing the International Guidelines on Natural and Nature-Based Features (NNBF) for Flood Risk Management. The process of developing these guidelines began in 2016. The project was initiated and led by the USACE.

On the 16 September 2021, the guide was launched via YouTube, with over 700 live viewers. The NNBF Guidelines have been downloaded nearly 5,000 times since then.

We are a partner in the Living Lab Hedwige-Prosperpolder. The Polder 2Cs project, which started in January 2020, is undertaking full scale tests on decommissioned flood defence embankments on the Dutch-Belgian border. The projects tests resilience standards and emergency response procedures. Some of the results are available in the Polder 2Cs project videos.

We continue to share knowledge and best practice on flood and coastal risk through events and partnerships. This includes our response to incidents through the Incident Learning Partnership.

7. Looking ahead

This section lists some of the activities that we, government and other RMAs will be carrying out beyond April 2022.

Flood Re changes

Government supports affordable and accessible flood insurance for homeowners through the Flood Re scheme. New regulations took effect in April 2022 which will allow Flood Re to pay claims from insurers which include an amount for resilient repair (Build-Back-Better) up to a value of £10,000. This is over and above the cost for like-for-like reinstatement of actual flood damage.

Benefits of 2015 to 2021 capital programme

Government published an assessment of the benefits of the 2015 to 2021 capital programme in April 2022. The programme was completed on time and within budget whilst also managing the impacts of significant winter storm events and the Coronavirus pandemic.

FCERM strategy roadmap to 2026

The Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy Action Plan 2021 was replaced by a new FCERM Strategy roadmap in May 2022. This roadmap will contain practical actions to achieves the ambitions in the FCERM strategy.

Climate change allowances

An update to the climate change allowances was published in May 2022. This update will improve understanding of how climate change will affect surface water flood risk.

Frequently flooded allowance

Government announced its plans for a Frequently Flooded Allowance in July 2022. This allowance will improve access to public funding for communities where 10 or more properties have flooded twice or more in the last 10 years.

Updated planning guidance

Government published updated planning guidance in August 2022. This will help councils take flood risk and coastal change policy into consideration and make more informed decisions on whether a new development should go ahead.

National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) surface water flooding review

The NIC published the findings of its review on effective approaches to the management of surface water flooding in England in November 2022.

NFM programme evaluation

We published the final evaluation of the NFM programme in December 2022. This explains the benefits of NFM including a series of lessons learnt from the pilot programme.

Flood risk management plans

We published the updated flood risk management plans in December 2022.

Review of schedule 3 of the FWMA

Government published the results of a review into schedule 3 of the FWMA 2010 in January 2023. Schedule 3 relates to sustainable drainage systems.

Property flood resilience technical training

We are developing property flood resilience technical training. This training will focus on the different components of the PFR code of practice. It will follow on from the foundation training that is already available and is due at the start of 2023.

Review of statutory responsibilities for asset maintenance

Government has commissioned a review of the statutory powers and responsibilities to manage and maintain assets, across all flood risks (rivers, sea, surface water and groundwater) and coastal erosion. This is due to be completed in March 2024.

Shoreline management plan explorer

We are working on a new SMP Explorer. The SMP Explorer will provide regularly updated SMP information in digital map format. This will help users to understand the maps.

Flood risk assessment standing advice

Flood risk assessment standing advice is also being prepared to provide greater clarity. This will reflect changes to the NPPF published in July 2021. We use this standing advice to take a risk-based approach to the advice we provide on planning applications.