Building on flood-risk land to be barred to prevent climate change wrecking homes

DEVELOPERS are to be barred from building on land at risk of flooding, as the Environment Secretary warns that climate change is heightening the threat of deluges destroying homes.

The Government will today set out plans to invest £860million in 1,000 flood defence schemes this year, as part of a package of measures to better protect households, business premises and infrastructure.

Improvements to flood insurance will also be announced to encourage the installation of flood doors, air brick covers and flood-resistant paint in homes previously damaged by water.

The measures come as fears grow in Whitehall about climate change and the need for the nation to adapt urgently to the challenges it poses.

George Eustice, the Environment Secretary, draws a link between global warming and flooding in an article for The Telegraph website today, saying: “Climate changes means more extreme weather, a higher risk of flooding events and coastal erosion. All too often, we are seeing households suffering repeated flooding.”

Pledging to tackle the problem, he states the Government will hold a consultation this autumn on how to bolster frequently flooded communities, including with more funding.

Better surface water maps will be published by next summer in order to hand 3.3 million people more information on local risks. New powers will also be given to the Housing Secretary to block “inappropriate development” on land threatened by flooding. The Government is introducing the reforms after 866 homes were granted planning permission in 2019-20 despite Environment Agency warnings about flood risk.

Mr Eustice says fresh guidance will be issued to “drive up compliance” with flood advice by forcing local planning authorities to refer decisions to the Housing Secretary in cases where the Environment Agency has raised an objection on those grounds.

Stressing that climate change is a global problem, Mr Eustice highlights the “catastrophic flash flooding” seen in Germany, Belgium, India and China in recent weeks. In London last weekend torrential downpours led to severe flash floods. The Met Office predicts that the stormy weather that has beset much of the country will continue. Yellow weather warnings have been issued for rain in north-west England.

The six-year programme to boost flood alleviation schemes and coastal defences aims to help better fortify 336,000 properties, preventing £32 billion in wider economic harm caused by water damage.

Last year, the Government announced it would double capital funding for flood and coastal defences for the programme, which runs until 2027, to £5.2billion. Details of how the £860million first tranche of cash is to be spent will be published today.

Funding will be given to projects to improve river walls and embankments; create new wetlands, peatlands and woods; and reduce the flow of rainwater upstream into rivers at risk of flooding. Towns in Greater Manchester, Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire and Weardale in County Durham are among areas set to benefit. The plan will also outline funding for repairs to the hard sea defences in Lincolnshire.

‘Climate changes means more extreme weather, a higher risk of flooding events and coastal erosion’

HOUSEHOLDS face paying £200 extra a year to fund greenhouse gas removal technology, as the cost of measures needed to reach net zero are passed on, a government commission has said.

The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has recommended that the Government ramps up its support for greenhouse gas removal, which can suck carbon out of the air and reduce the UK’S contribution to climate change.

But the measures are expensive, and costs should be borne by industries that cannot easily decarbonise like air travel and the farming sector, the body says. Those costs will then be passed on to consumers, which could result in a £200 household bill per year by 2050.

Households that use air travel and eat more food would pay more towards the levy, with lower income households paying £80 per year and higher income households paying £400.

The commission said greenhouse gas removal devices were vital in helping the UK reach net zero emissions by 2050 – a government target.

The technology is carbon negative, as it does not contribute to emissions but removes carbon from the air by sucking it directly from the atmosphere with special devices. Carbon can also be captured by planting trees before burning them for bioenergy.

The NIC said the Government should commit to implementing the technology in the UK by 2030 in order to reach its 2050 goal. Sir John Armitt, the head of the NIC, said: “Taking steps to clean our air is something we’re going to have to get used to, just as we already manage our wastewater and household refuse.

“While engineered removals will not be everyone’s favourite device in the toolkit, they are there for the hardest jobs.”