{"id":55202,"date":"2025-02-05T12:44:26","date_gmt":"2025-02-05T12:44:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/?p=55202"},"modified":"2025-02-05T12:44:26","modified_gmt":"2025-02-05T12:44:26","slug":"uk-to-protect-66000-more-properties-with-new-investments-in-flood-defences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/uk-to-protect-66000-more-properties-with-new-investments-in-flood-defences\/55202\/","title":{"rendered":"UK to protect 66,000 more properties with new investments in flood defences"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tens of thousands of homes and businesses will be better protected from flooding as the government has unveiled a record package of \u00a32.65bn to build new flood defences and maintain and repair those already in place.<\/h2>\n

As part of the Plan for Change, the UK Government is committing to a record two-year investment with 52,000 properties set to benefit from new flood defences by March 2026.<\/p>\n

To shore up creaking defences in need of repairs, funding will be reprioritised for investment in much-needed maintenance, benefitting a further 14,500 properties.<\/p>\n

Overall, a total of 66,500 properties will benefit from this funding.<\/p>\n

The investment is a fight back in the face of extreme weather events<\/h3>\n

With the frequency of extreme weather events continuing to rise<\/a>, leading to devastating impacts for people, homes, businesses, and communities and costing the UK economy billions each year, decisive action to invest in adapting to climate change has never been more important.<\/p>\n

As well as protecting families from the devastation of flooding, the investment supports economic growth by protecting businesses, providing jobs, and supporting a stable economy in the face of the increasing risk of flooding as a result of climate change.<\/p>\n

The flood defences will also protect farmland that has been badly hit by recent storms, which will, in turn, help to safeguard farm businesses and farmers\u2019 profits.<\/p>\n

The UK\u2019s flood defences need drastic improvement<\/h3>\n

The government says it inherited flood defences in their poorest condition on record, as years of underinvestment and damaging storms left 3,000 of the Environment Agency\u2019s 38,000 high-consequence assets at below the required condition.<\/p>\n

The announcement comes as the government\u2019s Floods Resilience Taskforce meets today, with Floods Minister Emma Hardy joined by ministers from across government alongside representatives from the Met Office, Local Resilience Forums, and the National Farmers\u2019 Union.<\/p>\n

They will look at further steps that can be taken to protect the 6.3 million properties in England at risk from flooding<\/a> and discuss lessons to learn from Storms Bert, Conall and \u00c9owyn this winter.<\/p>\n

Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Steve Reed said: \u201cThe storms this winter have devastated lives and livelihoods. Under our Plan for Change, we are investing a record \u00a32.65bn to build and maintain flood defences to protect lives, homes and businesses from the dangers of flooding.\u201d<\/p>\n

New projects will enable new defences and essential maintenance<\/h3>\n

Up to 1,000 projects are set to receive a share of the funding for new and improved flood defences. Those receiving funding include:<\/p>\n