New allocations of flood management funding will allow homes, businesses and communities around the country to benefit from increased flood protection, Floods Minister Thérèse Coffey announced on Friday.
According to the official statement, 34 community led projects have been named as winners of a £1 million government funded competition, the first of its kind, and will now be able to realize their innovative plans to use landscape features such as ponds, banks, meanders, channels, and trees to store, drain or slow flood water.
24 other catchment scale projects have also been allocated funding to develop larger scale projects which will benefit wider areas; with Cumbria, Greater Manchester Merseyside and Cheshire and Wolsingham all receiving over £1 million of funding.
Environment minister Thérèse Coffey said: “This funding will help more than 50 projects around the country take full advantage of innovative natural flood management measures. Flood defense technology and engineering is better than ever and by using a mix of natural and concrete defenses, we can provide the best flood protection for individual areas.”
“Methods such as restoring floodplains and planting trees will not only help protect families, homes and businesses from flooding, they will also bring environmental benefits to the wider area and all the people who live in these many communities.”
Minister Coffey also announced the successful allocations in Sutton and Roxwell, where she visited two of the schemes which will receive funding.