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Author(s): Sandra Laville

More than 100,000 homes in England could be built in highest-risk flood zones

Source(s): Guardian, the (UK)
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More than 100,000 new homes will be built on the highest-risk flood zones in England in the next five years as part of the government's push for 1.5m extra properties by the end of this parliament, Guardian analysis suggests.

Building on areas with the highest risk of serious flooding is supposed to be discouraged. Experts say development should be avoided unless absolutely necessary because there is a significant chance of regular deluges, which will flood the properties, cause hundreds of millions of pounds of economic damage and make homes uninsurable.

[...]

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: "We do not recognise these figures. We are clear that any new developments should be built away from areas at the highest risk of flooding. This government will maintain the highest levels of flood protection, while taking decisive action to fix our broken planning system and deliver 1.5m homes through our plan for change."

The government revised planning policy in December 2024. However, nothing in the policy precludes building on highest-risk flood zones.

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Hazards Flood
Themes Risk identification and assessment
Country and region United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

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