Communities to face flood funding bill
07/07/2010
Communities will have to help fund flood defences in their area in future, the Environment Agency has warned.
As well as paying for home insurance to help safeguard their properties against flooding, businesses, landowners and communities will also have to make a bigger contribution to fund flood defences.
Despite receiving funding of £629m from the Government, the agency said it needed to look to other sources of funding to protect communities from the increased risk of flooding and coastal erosion brought about by climate change in the future as spending on flood management has hit a record high.
At a flood and coastal risk management conference in Telford, Environment Agency chief executive Dr Paul Leinster will point to communities which have already adopted an approach in which they contribute to flood defences.
In Hereford, Asda contributed £2 million under planning conditions for a supermarket in the town and constructed 440 metres of flood defence as part of a £7.5 million scheme to protect 196 properties including 25 listed buildings.
Dr Leinster said: "We must now also look at alternative funding streams, including increased contributions from those who will benefit from future defence schemes."
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