DEPARTMENT FOR
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS News Release (News Release ref :
252/08) issued by The Government News Network on 30 July 2008
Defra (Department
for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) is today setting out
plans to contribute at least £5 million to a scheme to support
households in England which face a particularly high risk of
flooding but which are not protected by traditional community
level defences.
The funding comes on top of any help already provided by local
authorities, the insurance industry and households themselves.
A consultation inviting views on how best the money can be spent
is being published today and looks at the possibility of providing
a free home flood survey and offering a grant to cover some of the
costs of the measures themselves.
Environment Minister Phil Woolas said:
"Traditional community level defences are not a viable
answer to flooding in all areas, but individual householders can
make a big difference themselves by protecting their properties.
The Government wants to support people in making relatively simple
changes which can nevertheless have a huge impact on a
property's resilience. Measures such as door-boards,
air-brick covers, water-proof walls and floors, and raised
electrics, can all reduce any potential damage caused by floodwater.
"Research suggests that these measures can also cut the
financial costs of flooding by 50 - 80 per cent. They lessen the
disruption and distress, and can halve the amount of time it takes
to dry out and repair a property.
"Putting a package of measures in place can cost £4,000 to
£5,000 for the average semi-detached house, but it could prevent
flood damage of up to tens of thousands of pounds, as well as the
attendant distress and disruption that flooding can cause."
Floods Recovery Minister John Healey said:
"Last summer's floods were the worst for a generation,
affecting 48,000 homes and prompting over 180,000 insurance claims.
"While councils and insurers continue working to get people
back home as quickly as possible, and £133 million Government
funding has been made available to communities to help them get
back on their feet, the floods showed that individuals can also do
their bit to minimise flooding risk and damage.
"Even small practical steps can make a big difference when
floods hit. So I welcome the extra £5 million that will be made
available to help homeowners take the most effective steps to
protect their properties."
Defra is also publishing today an outline of a proposed new
National Flood Emergency Framework. This fulfils a commitment made
by Hilary Benn on 25 June 2008, following the publication of Sir
Michael Pitt's final independent report into the summer 2007
floods. In line with Sir Michael's recommendations, the
proposed framework, on which there will be public consultation,
will bring together information, guidance and key policies in a
single strand of planning. It will provide a resource for all of
the organisations involved in planning for, and responding to,
major flooding incidents.
Notes to editors
1. The consultation on property-level flood protection and
resilience is available from http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/flood-protection
and the deadline is 31 October 2008
2. Today's announcement represents part of Defra's
adaptation framework http://www.defra.gov.uk/adaptation
3. The National Flood Emergencies Framework is available from http://www.defra.gov.uk/environ/fcd/floodincidents/contin.htm
4. In research for Defra, Entec and Greenstreet Berman found that
property-level flood protection measures are economically
worthwhile when the annual chance of flooding is 2 per cent or
more (once every 50 years on average). In a survey of 1,200
households and businesses, Entec and Greenstreet Berman found that
only one-third of those who have been flooded in the past have
taken any steps to reduce the impact of flooding on their property
or possessions, and less than one-in-ten of those at-risk but who
have not been flooded have taken steps to protect themselves. More
details on this work are available here: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environ/fcd/adaptationandresilience/propertyresilience.htm
5. Defra recently completed a £500,000 pilot scheme to examine
whether grants provided an effective means of increasing take-up
of flood protection. The scheme improved the standard of
protection for nearly 200 properties. Pilots were run in six
different locations: Dunhill Estate, Halton, Leeds; Bleasby,
Nottingham; Sandside, Kirkby-in-Furness, Cumbria; Sunderland
Point, Morecambe, Lancashire; The Sands, Appleby, Cumbria;
Uckfield, East Sussex. A summary report for the pilots is
available here: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environ/fcd/adaptationandresilience/propertyresilience.htm
6. Today Defra is also consulting in parallel on a separate
policy statement on the Government's new policy on a
Strategic Appraisal Framework for Flooding and Coastal Erosion
Risk Management http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/flood-appraisal/index.htm].
The new policy is a concise restatement of the requirements of
appraisal for flooding and coastal erosion risk management
together with updated appraisal policy reflecting the strategic
and policy principles of first Government response to the Making
Space for Water consultation (March 2005). Practitioner guidance
for the implementation of these appraisal policies will be
provided by the Environment Agency, in association with other
operating authorities by the end of 2008
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