East Anglia Property Flood Resilience Project

Overview

What is this project about?

An Environment Agency project to deliver Property Flood Resilience (PFR) measures to properties in East Anglia which are currently at risk of flooding from main rivers.

Why are we doing this?

There are a number of locations in East Anglia where there are houses at risk of frequent flooding or have flooded recently, and due to the isolated location of the properties there is no opportunity to develop a more permanent engineered solution within the budget available. We are therefore developing a project to deliver individual PFR measures to these properties. Below is a map of the approximate locations surveyed earlier in 2022 as part of phase one of the project.

What are the aims of the project?

To reduce flood risk to properties across East Anglia through the delivery of PFR measures.

What is property flood resilience (PFR)?

Property Flood Resilience, known as PFR includes a range of measures which can be installed on a property to reduce the damage caused by flood water entering the property.  The products that can be fitted to a house include, flood doors, water resisting airbricks, non-return valves in sewer and drainage pipes, as well as sealing service entry points, weep holes & internal pumps.

What is a PFR Survey?

As every house is different, each would need to be initially surveyed to assess the flood risk to the individual dwelling and also to assess the suitability of a range of available products to mitigate the risk of water entry. 

If the homeowner agrees to it, a Property Flood Resilience surveyor will visit their house and carry out a bespoke PFR survey. The surveyor will determine the ways in which flood water could enter the property.  They will also determine whether any suitable resistance or resilience measures could be effective in either preventing water from entering the property or reducing the impacts of flooding which may be experienced.  The homeowners will receive a report which describes and explains the flood risk and any recommended PFR measures which could be installed.

The PFR Survey is completely free.  There will be no cost to the homeowner, and there is no obligation to accept any installation measures.  At this stage, it is simply to investigate what, if anything, could be done to help manage flood risk.

What have we done so far?

We have undertaken “Initial Assessments” in several communities to help inform our understanding of flood risk. 

We have collected property threshold levels for over 500 homes in our area and we have compared these to modelled flood levels. 

We have identified which properties are at the highest risk of frequent flooding from main river sources and therefore could potentially be eligible for inclusion in this project.

PFR Specialists RAB Consultants have carried out PFR surveys on a large number of homes at frequent risk of flooding from main river sources.

We have offered PFR Surveys to a number of properties at frequent risk of flooding from main river sources. 

What are the next steps for the project?

We will continue to engage with homeowners to ensure that they understand their flood risk.  We will ensure that people have information to help them make informed decisions about how they can manage the risk of flooding.

RAB Consultants are currently on track to carry out the final phase of PFR Surveys and expect to complete those late spring/early summer 2023. Homeowners who have had a survey carried out this Autumn should expect to receive their bespoke PFR survey report soon.

We are currently developing our business case in line with HM Treasury guidelines, which we hope will demonstrate that it is cost-beneficial to install PFR measures on up to 130 homes across our area.  The outcomes of our economic analysis will depend on a number of factors, including how many homes take up our offer of a PFR Survey, individual property flood risk and a desktop assessment of the anticipated economic benefits if PFR measures were installed.

At this early stage of the project we are offering the initial PFR survey to a large number of properties, including those at a lower risk of flooding than would ordinarily be considered for PFR measures. As a result there is a risk that we may not be able to support the delivery of PFR to all properties. However if our economic assessments are favourable, and providing that our project gets the final necessary approvals, it is possible that a grant contribution could be made available towards the installation of any suitable recommended PFR measures. 

You can read our 'frequently asked questions' document, the latest briefings, as well as a map of communities potentially identified for phase 2 in the related docs section at the bottom of this webpage. 

Helpful External Websites

Flood and water management - Norfolk County Council

Flood management in Suffolk | Suffolk County Council

Essex Flood and Water Management

Why your views matter

Talk to us virtually! Tuesday 26 July  7-8pm

Please note this event is now closed. A recording of the event is available to view upon request. Please get in touch via our contact details section to request a copy.