Submitted to the Thanet Gazette
New plans and funding aim to ensure that hundreds more homes and businesses in Thanet are better protected from flooding and coastal erosion.
The recently published Flood and Coastal Erosion Investment Plan outlines how the £5.2 billion of investment will be spent across the country over the next six years.
More than £860 million has been earmarked for boosting the design and construction of more than 1,000 flooding alleviation schemes in 2021/22.
294 homes will benefit from £2.2 million of investment over the next two years, helping to give greater protections to homes which are vulnerable to flooding and coastal erosion.
The funding will help to protect a total of 336,000 properties in England by 2026-2027, including 913 in Thanet.
In addition, a consultation this autumn will look at how to better protect frequently flooded communities, following a call for evidence earlier this year.
It will consider how to strengthen the assessment of local circumstances, such as where areas have flooded on multiple occasions, when allocating funding during the six-year plan.
Tighter guidance is being brought in for planning authorities, as part of a package of actions to better protect and prepare communities for flooding.
Improvements to flood insurance such as measures to allow flooded households to claim extra money to install property flood resilience measures – like air brick covers, flood doors and flood resistant paint – and measures to tackle the risks from surface water flooding are also included in the plans.
South Thanet MP Craig Mackinlay said:
“The £6.5 million to protect 913 homes in Thanet will help to deliver on this by boosting the design and construction of flood alleviation schemes and putting the necessary measures in place to protect homes from flooding and coastal erosion.”
“This will help to guard homes and families from the devastating impact of flooding, allowing people to feel reassured about the safety of their home.”
Environment secretary George Eustice added:
“The tragic recent events in Germany and Belgium serve as a sobering reminder of how devastating flooding can be.
“It’s important we take action right across the system. Our comprehensive plan will achieve this by tightening planning procedures, helping more people access insurance and making homes more resilient to flooding.”
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