One in nine new homes built in flood risk areas, research finds

The new analysis suggested that the number of homes built in flood risk areas has accelerated as housebuilding increased. However, a government spokesperson told Inside Housing that Aviva’s figures did not factor in flood defences in place.

Aviva said that by 2050, one in seven (15%) of new homes built between 2022 and 2024 will be at medium or high risk of flooding as the effects of extreme weather become more acute.

The analysis also found that new build homes are likely to face greater risk of floods in the future than existing properties. A total of 30% of new homes built in the past three years will be at some risk of flooding by 2050. This is more than the 25% projected for existing properties.

In October, another report by Aviva found that every constituency in Great Britain is projected to have increased flood risk in the future either through river, coastal or surface water.

In England alone, 69% of constituencies are projected to see an increase of over 25% in the number of properties facing flood risk by the middle of the century.

A total of 32% of the constituencies with the highest number of new homes built in medium or high-risk areas are in Greater London and Essex.

Constituencies in Lincolnshire, the North West and Western regions also have a high number of new build homes at flood risk – 13%.

While it may be more difficult to prevent new housing developments in some areas, which are naturally more prone to flooding and have less land available for development, it is even more important that these homes are protected by flood-resilience measures, Aviva said.

Jason Storah, chief executive officer of UK and Ireland general insurance at Aviva, said: “As the government consults on changes to planning regulations, we urge them to strengthen these rules to prevent new unprotected homes from being built in flood zones.

“We believe there should be a presumption against new developments in high-risk areas in the planning rules, alongside mandatory flood-resilience measures in building regulations for new homes in areas at risk.

“This is particularly important in places where surface water flooding is prevalent, which is more difficult to predict and protect against.

“Property flood resilience does not have to be expensive, and effective measures can be installed for under £1,000.”

He added: “We’re calling on government to publish its own figures on the number of new homes in medium and high-risk flood areas and prioritise the prevention of further at-risk developments.”

A government spokesperson told Inside Housing: “These figures are misleading as the research doesn’t even factor in flood defences in place.

“We will build 1.5 million homes without compromising on safety, and our planning proposals will ensure that development should not go ahead where it would be unsafe due to flood risk.

“This is alongside investing a record £10.5bn for flood projects, which will benefit nearly 900,000 properties by 2036.”

In October, an independent review set out how to protect homes from flooding after the Environment Agency found that one in four homes will be at risk of flooding by the middle of the century.