http://tinyurl.com/74vmguo highlights a good analysis of the problem if affordable flood insurance or no flood insurance becomes the norm in the UK after the conclusion of the Statement of Principles between government and the ABI in June 2013.

What it doesn’t address though is the number of very good flood defence solutions available to property owners of all types in the UK. Through the Flood Protection Association (FPA) we promote and support the BSI Kitemark accreditation PAS1188 where it is applicable as these solutions are more likely to find favour with the insurers across the UK. Where you are looking to defend wide-area sites or communities solutions are available but because they can defend to higher flood depths they are not covered by this Kitemark. They are nevertheless superb solutions and it often confuses me why they are not more widely adopted by communities and the Environment Agency as they are often more cost effective and even more aesthetically pleasing than permanent walls and bunds.

Isn’t it incumbent on people to protect their own property? Most people take measures to protect their properties from fire and burglary but very few consider protecting those same properties from flooding. Why is that?

If insurance and excesses are going to become even higher then a sensible approach may be to spend that money to stop the flood waters entering your property instead. We will be launching the “Revetment Resilient Property” solution this spring that will offer a GUARANTEED, ACCREDITED, INDEPENDENT & INSURABLE solution to this problem. If you want to know more about protecting your property you should call or write to us today at +44(0)844 8044 046 or enquiries@revetment.uk.com

Published by Julien Tremblin for 24dash.com in Housing
Tuesday 14th February 2012 – 10:56am 

An “amphibious” house that rises along with the water to avoid flooding has been granted planning permission on the banks of the River Thames.

Once built, the three-bedroom family home will rest on the ground on fixed foundations but whenever a flood occurs, the entire building will rise up in its dock and float, buoyed by the flood water.

The modern, eco-friendly 225 square meters house – a first in the UK – will be set just ten meters away from the river in Marlow, Buckinghamshire.

The upper part of the house is a lightweight timber construction that rests on a concrete hull, creating a free-floating pontoon. The whole house is set between four ‘dolphins’ – permanent vertical guideposts to keep it in place when it does rise.

When the river bursts its banks – expected to happen every 20 years or so – the water pressure will unlock the home from the dock and allow it to float up to water level.

The garden will also act as a natural flood warning, with four terraces set at different levels which will fill up with water, warning occupants well before the river threatens the area.

The lowest terrace will be planted with reeds, another with shrubs and plants, another will be lawn and the highest step will be a patio with access into the dining room.

These stepped levels will help to manage run-off from the house as the water begins to subside.

The house has been designed by London architects Baca and will cost an estimated £1.5 million – about 25% more than traditional builds.

The Local Authority supported the proposal as it is a replacement dwelling for a derelict bungalow – a new house would not have been allowed so close to the river.

The anonymous client told the Daily Mail: ‘I have always dreamed of living by the Thames. The beautiful setting convinced us that we could build our dream home.

‘We’re looking forward to sipping our first glass of wine on our terrace watching the rowers go past.’

Richard Coutts, director of Baca Architects, said: “The planning process obviously took a bit more time than some applications, involving our team in extensive consultations and cooperation with the local authority.

“From the outset of the design process we sought expert advice from the Environment Agency to determine the most appropriate construction model to mitigate flood risk on the site; and provide a safe dwelling, sympathetic to its setting, and fit for the challenges of the 21st Century.”

Published on Sunday 5 February 2012 01:00 from the Morpeth Herald

ALL Morpeth residents should contribute to a flood insurance scheme which would help prevent the danger of community blight, according to town councillors.

A working group recently came up with a new proposal for a way forward on the issue at national level that expanded on its original model.

The revised plan from members of the Morpeth Flood Action Group (MFAG), Morpeth Town Council and the Morpeth and District Chamber of Trade involves a pool of money paid into by high-risk householders, but to enable people to afford insurance in these areas they will only pay a percentage of the premium that they would be responsible for if there were no subsidy measures.

This means that the main contributions are shared between the industry and people living in areas most likely to flood, however the pool would also have funding from a Community Flood Levy paid by all householders.

At a full council meeting, the local authority unanimously endorsed the proposal and Coun David Parker, a member of the working group, said it was important that an agreement is reached soon because the Statement of Principles – agreed by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) with the Government to ensure cover continues to be provided for flood risk properties – will end in 2013.

“The revisions to our proposal were made to accommodate some of the issues raised by the ABI, but the principle of a pooling system as the best way forward remains in place,” he added.

“We’re asking that everyone in the town chips in to help people in high risk areas to afford flood insurance. This is because if there are 500 homes in the town centre which are empty as a result of insurance premiums being too high, it would blight the lives of all Morpeth residents.

“The Government needs to take some responsibility for this, certainly in terms of setting the framework, and it will give its views on the matter in the spring.”

Under the Morpeth model, the insurance industry as a whole would decide whether the levy would be charged across the board as a flat rate or as a percentage of the complete household insurance premium.

North ward councillor Nic Best said he hoped that the proposal would become national policy, but if not it should at the very least be included in Northumberland County Council’s Local Development Framework.

By Richard Johnstone | 31 January 2012

“MPs have raised concerns about the funding of flood defences in England, casting doubts on plans to raise more money from councils.”

“In Flood risk management in England, the Public Accounts Committee says more than 5 million homes in England are in danger of flooding. It warns that there is ‘a great deal of uncertainty’ about whether there will be enough money to improve the protection from growing risks, including climate change…………….”

“……………………..The Department for Environment, 食料農村地域省, which funds the agency, plans to secure more money from local sources, including councils. It wants local flood protection funding to increase from £13m to £43m by 2014/15.”

“But the PAC says these plans ‘may well be over-optimistic’ at a time when councils face budget cuts.”

Although I agree with making the decisions on what and where flood defences are to be built I always wondered where the shortfall in spending was going to come from too. Looks like the policy makers have woken up to the fact at last. Or at least the ones that scrutinise the accounts.

“Levees are inherently at risk of breaches and overtopping by floodwaters, which could result in the loss of billions of dollars worth of properties, businesses and tax revenue.”

I like this statement from Darrell Vanyo, a Cass County commissioner and chairman, Flood Diversion Authority because it confirms my own beliefs.

I also think levees (dykes, bunds, earth embankments, 海の壁, etc.) give people a degree of confidence and complacency that is unjustified.

Levees can only economically (and aesthetically) be built to a certain height. Once that flood height is achieved flooding will inevitably occur behind the dam and what protection have property owners put in place?

Because of their false sense of security the answer is more often than not nothing.

Up to 200,000 homes will face insurance problems when a government agreement ends next year, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) has said.
It mapped neighbourhoods with the highest risk of flooding in England and Wales – and where residents may struggle to insure their homes.
Boston and Skegness, and the Vale of Clwyd face the greatest risks, it said.
The government said it was working with the industry to try to make sure the arrangement continues after June 2013.
The pact obliges insurers to provide cover for high-risk properties while the government continues to improve flood defences.
The ABI wants the government to share the risk for the most vulnerable properties.
“We are frustrated with the progress of our talks with the government on this issue and want it to look urgently at a model that would allow flood cover to remain widely available and competitively priced,” said ABI director general Otto Thoresen.

Areas facing significant flood risk

Boston and Skegness: 7,550 homes
Vale of Clwyd: 7,339
Folkestone and Hythe: 7,196
Windsor: 7,125
Runnymede and Weybridge: 6,541
Clwyd West: 6,160
Aberconwy: 5,500
Nottingham South: 5,043
Great Yarmouth: 4,965
Sittingbourne and Sheppey: 4,295
Leeds central: 4,209
Canterbury: 4,199
Source: ABI

“No country in the world has an entirely free market providing universal affordable flood insurance, and action is needed now to avoid 200,000 high-risk homes struggling to afford cover.”
Environment Minister Richard Benyon told BBC: “We live in difficult times, it is wrong to impose impossible burdens on the taxpayer, but we do want to make sure that insurance continues to be available for the vast majority of households.”
“We will assist particularly households on low incomes,” he said.
The Department for Environment, 食料農村地域省 (Defra) said it would consider targeted support over the next few months and said further announcements would be made in the spring.

Agreement
The ABI has analysed official data to highlight the areas with the most homes at significant flood risk – defined as a greater than one in 75 chance of flood in any given year.Boston and Skegness headed the list, with 7,550 homes facing significant risk. This was followed by the Vale of Clwyd, with 7,339 homes at risk, then Folkestone and Hythe (7,196), Windsor (7,125), and Runnymede and Weybridge (6,541).

Nick Starling, from the Association of British Insurers, says 200,000 homes will find it hard to get insurance

The ABI said that these homes faced problems in getting insurance after June 2013, when the agreement ends.

It claimed that, at present, people in lower risk flood areas paid more in premiums than would otherwise be the case to subsidise those at higher risk, and customers in high-risk areas were tied to their existing insurer.

Priority
Meanwhile a committee of MPs has raised concerns about what funds are available to maintain flood defences.

It was unclear “where the buck stops” for managing the risk of flooding, a report by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said.

The PAC said that there was a great deal of uncertainty about whether there was enough money to improve flood defences and protection in the long-term, and who paid for it.

The current bill is at least £1.1bn a year, according to the committee of MPs, and this is set to rise owing to climate change.

A recent assessment for the government claimed that this could go up to between £1.5bn and £3.5bn a year by the 2020s.

“Flood protection is a national priority. Yet it is unclear where the buck stops and who is ultimately responsible for managing the risk of flooding,” said Margaret Hodge, who chairs the PAC.

“It is not acceptable that local people should be left in doubt about where responsibility and accountability lie.”

Environment Minister Richard Benyon said his department was spending £2.17bn on flood prevention over the next four years.

Its budget was cut by 6% in the Spending Review, he said, but he maintained that this was much smaller than the cuts made to some other departments.

“We protected flood spending out of all proportion… showing that it is of real importance to the government,” Mr Benyon told BBC News.

The PAC report said that with people being asked to pay more towards flood protection in their area and take on more of the risk, the Environment Agency needed to involve communities better in decisions on flood protection.

This is part of a couple of “leaders” we have written suggesting low cost ways of preventing sewer flooding. Please get in touch with us if you would like to read the full articles.

………. Flooding occurs when the capacity of the containment area within a sewer or catchment is exceeded. When this available designed capacity is reduced by silt, FOG or debris and the hydraulic performance is affected the likelihood of flooding is even greater.

In these situations water companies and local authorities must accept their responsibility and more effectively seek to focus their shrinking maintenance budgets to ensure that these risks are kept to the lowest achievable level.

Flusher is an entirely new sewer cleansing device which performs continuous cleansing maintaining drainage infrastructure in a fully operation condition without a need for manual intervention. These systems are based upon sound proven principles used historically by both the Romans and Victorians but repackaged utilising all that is best in modern technology and furthermore using sustainable materials in a responsible and effective way………….

28 October 2011

• Full report – Flood Risk Management in England

The National Audit Office reports today that giving greater responsibility and discretion to local authorities to identify flood risk and target investment raises significant challenges, especially during a time of budget cuts and other newly devolved responsibilities. The NAO considers that greater value for money can be achieved through these reforms, but key elements of what is required are not yet in place.

Local knowledge of surface water flood risk is far less advanced than national information on risk of flooding from rivers and the sea. Local authorities are experiencing difficulty in recruiting and retaining appropriately qualified staff. Only 30 per cent of the local authorities the NAO spoke to thought they had the required technical expertise. Local decision-making is hampered by the need to cross-refer between nearly 20 different plans that affect local flood risk management. It is not yet clear how the Department and the Environment Agency will provide assurance nationally that arrangements are working.

The Environment Agency has improved its own efficiency since the NAO last reported in 2007. The Agency has a better understanding of the condition of existing sea and river defences. It has brought 98 per cent of defences classified as ‘high consequence’ if they fail, up to target condition and is directing more of its funding towards these defences. In addition, the Agency has provided better flood protection for 182,000 households against a target of 145,000.

The Agency estimates that, owing to climate change and ageing defences, an increase of £20 million is required on average each year between 2011 and 2035 to maintain the current level of flood protection. However, central government funding to the Agency has reduced by 10 per cent over this spending review period compared with the last. If central funding does not increase after 2014-15, maintaining and improving the nation’s flood defences will depend on significant additional funding being secured locally. Currently, some 95 per cent of funding is provided by central government.

The NAO found that local bodies will be hard-pressed to plug any funding gap while under pressure to deliver a number of other newly devolved responsibilities. And the Department’s plans to encourage more local funding could see some defence schemes that have attracted private or other funding going ahead in advance of schemes elsewhere that provide greater benefits.

Amyas Morse, head of the National Audit Office, said today:

“Greater local discretion over how funding is targeted has the potential to improve value for money in flood risk management. Local bodies will have to meet the new expectations placed on them – including that of raising investment locally – while under the pressure of delivering on other newly devolved responsibilities. If these challenges are not met, the Department’s reforms will have failed to fulfil their potential to increase levels of investment in flood management and value for money to the taxpayer.”

[ updated 22 Sep 2011 01:54 ]

By RUTH LYTHE
Millions of families living in flood-risk areas are being threatened that they will be placed on a blacklist, which could leave their homes uninsurable and unsellable.
About 5.5?million households classed as ‘at risk of flooding’ are caught in the middle of a tug of war between the profit-hungry insurers and a cost-cutting Government
An agreement called the Statement of Principles is in force between insurers and the Government.
It states that insurers will cover existing homes in flood-prone areas — although they can choose to increase premiums. Insurers also agree to continue covering existing homes in areas of very high flood risk under the deal — so long as the Environment Agency has announced plans to cut flood risk in those areas within five years and the properties are already insured.

It is essential that the plans to give local communities power to decide what is built where do not lead to a rise in inappropriate developments in flood risk areas, writes Otto Thoreson.

The fierce debate provoked by the Government proposals to reform the planning process shows how much people care about what is built and where. Understandably, the Government sees new sustainable developments as vital to the economic recovery.

However, it is essential that the plans to give local communities power to decide what is built where do not lead to a rise in inappropriate developments in flood risk areas, leading to people facing a struggle to get flood insurance. The result would not be stimulation of the economy but misery for people when their homes are flooded.

The flood risk is rising. Over five million homes — one in six properties — and 185,000 businesses in England are at risk. Even if our investment in flood management remained constant, a further 350,000 properties in England will be at significant flood risk by 2035.

The new planning framework must not make a significant problem even worse. We need a long-term flood management strategy. Core to this must be a planning system that prevents inappropriate development in high flood risk areas. We are concerned that increased decision-making by local planning authorities, without proper strategic oversight, will not apply sufficiently robust scrutiny in flood risk areas. Building developments in high flood risk areas will make flood insurance harder to access and, if available, more expensive, possibly prohibitively so.

A property that cannot get insurance is likely to be uninhabitable and unsellable. This will put further pressure on Britain’s already high demand for housing, and hit the recovery of the house-building sector.Insurers remain determined that flood insurance remains widely available. We need to be sure the National Planning Policy Framework safeguards against poor planning decisions. We look forward to being convinced.

Otto Thoresen is director general of the Association of British Insurers