Frequently Flooded Allowance funding for repeatedly flooded communities in the Midlands

Areas that have suffered repeated flooding are to benefit from £100 million of funding.

The first communities in England to receive better flood protection as part of the government’s Frequently Flooded Allowance were announced yesterday

This funding forms part of a £5.2 billion investment in flood defences across the country.

The first 53 projects announced will be allocated more than £26 million in total, better protecting more than 2,300 households and businesses across the country.

13 projects across the Midlands will benefit from the first allocation of funding, including:

• Lowdham Cocker Beck Flood Alleviation Scheme (Cocker Beck, Nottinghamshire)

• Tenbury Wells Community Flood Alleviation Scheme (River Teme, Worcestershire)
• Toronto Close Flood Alleviation Scheme (River Teme, Worcestershire)
• Severn Stoke Flood Alleviation Scheme (River Severn, Worcestershire)
• Greyfriars Community Flood Risk Management Scheme (River Wye, Herefordshire)
• First Avenue Flood Alleviation Scheme (River Rea, Birmingham)

The allowance targets communities where 10 or more properties have flooded twice or more in the last 10 years. These communities are often smaller and can face barriers to access funding due to the relative complexity and cost of building flood defences compared to the size of the community.

Projects will improve resilience through a mixture of hard engineering flood defences and natural flood management measures.

The allowance also supports the installation of property flood resilience measures such as flood doors and barriers, meaning more homes will be better protected in communities where traditional defence schemes are not always viable.

Environment minister, Rebecca Pow, said: “We know only too well the devastating impact that flooding can have on communities and businesses, as we face more extreme weather brought about by climate change.

“I am determined that we do whatever we can to prevent flooding that affects so many towns and villages across the country.

“This much-needed funding will go a long way to support those whose homes and livelihoods are repeatedly threatened by flooding and forms a key part of our record £5.2 billion investment by 2027 to protect communities in England better.”

Caroline Douglass, executive director for flood and coastal risk management at the Environment Agency, said: “Increased flooding is just one of the impacts of climate change we are seeing in the UK and around the world. Protecting people and communities is our top priority as we look to tackle this challenge.

“The funding announced today will help better protect homes and businesses at risk from repeated flood incidents across the country.

“The Environment Agency’s strong track record in delivering flood defence schemes means we have better protected 374,000 homes since 2015.”

Since the start of the current £5.2 billion investment programme (2021-2027), more than 35,000 properties are now better protected.

This follows the successful delivery of the previous £2.6 billion investment programme between 2015 and 2021, which better protected more than 374,000 homes across England.