On 12th May the Environment Agency published an action plan for the national Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) Strategy for England, setting out the progress made against the objectives of the National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy for England.

Caroline Douglass, Executive Director of FCRM at the Environment Agency says:

“As you know, the 2020 Strategy provides a longer term vision of how we will better protect and prepare homes and businesses from flooding and coastal change and create climate resilient places. Since then, the Environment Agency has been working with a wide range of partners to look at how we can bring the Strategy to life and deliver its three long term ambitions:

• climate resilient places
• today’s growth and infrastructure resilient in tomorrow’s climate
• a nation ready to respond and adapt to flooding and coastal change.

“As we look to rebuild and renew after the coronavirus pandemic, the Strategy can help to ensure a clean, green recovery with climate resilience at its heart. The Environment Agency and other risk management authorities cannot achieve these ambitions alone. We need a wide range of organisations, nationally and locally, to contribute so that we are ready for what the future will bring.

“The Environment Agency has formed a national FCERM Strategy Implementation Steering Group to help develop our first action plan. The action plan identifies and tracks the practical actions needed over the next year. It is a national plan intended to help frame and support local action by our Areas and local partners. This is a great first step and the Environment Agency will continue to work with partners to update the action plan each year, to add new actions and monitor progress.”

Further information

EA press release 12 May 2021 ‘Environment Agency launches new flooding Action Plan’ available at www.gov.uk/government/news/environment-agency-launches-new-flooding-action-plan