The Environment Agency today
announced plans to increase flood protection to
200,000 homes and businesses in England and Wales by
2015.
Launching the 2010-2015 corporate strategy at
its annual conference in London, the
organisation today warned that more properties
face an increasing risk of coastal erosion and
flooding from rivers and the sea due to climate
change and population growth.
The number of
properties in England and Wales at significant
risk of flooding could increase from 570,000 in
2009 to over 900,000 by 2035 at current levels
of flood defence investment.
Since 2007, the Environment Agency has
completed 102 flood defence schemes protecting
over 63,000 additional homes in England and
Wales.
Earlier this year, construction started on a
£50m defence project to protect 16,000
properties in Nottingham and work has recently
begun on the final stage of a £29m scheme in
Weston-Super-Mare to protect 4500 homes and
businesses from the risk of coastal flooding.
Work is also well underway at Dymchurch, Kent
where a £60m scheme is increasing protection to
2,471 residential properties and 7,672 hectares
of agricultural land.
The Environment Agency is already planning to
manage a predicted one metre rise in sea levels.
The Thames Barrier and its associated schemes,
which protect 1.25 million people across the
capital, will need to be upgraded or replaced by
2070 to cope with the effects of climate change.
By 2115, a predicted ten per cent increase in
wave heights and wind speeds will increase the
threat from coastal surges.
Environment Agency director of flooding and
coastal erosion risk management, Robert Runcie,
said: “The Environment Agency plans to protect
an additional 200,000 properties in England and
Wales from coastal erosion and flooding by 2015.
“Since 2007, we have completed 102 defences
and this year we are progressing some major new
schemes including Nottingham, Dymchurch and
Weston-Super-Mare.
“However, no one can prevent flooding
entirely and so people should check the
Environment Agency’s website to see if their
postcode is at risk of flooding and sign up to
receive free flood warnings.”
ENDS
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