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- Newly built homes struggle to get flood coverage even in the driest areas of the country
More than 7,000 homes have received planning permission to be built in the most flood-prone areas of the country, warns the insurer Allianz.
Allianz said 7,116 new homes have full or conditional planning permission on previously undeveloped floodplains in the 12 local authorities with the highest proportion of homes at risk of flooding.
An Allianz report written by think tank Localis said 7 per cent of England’s flood defenses are in poor condition, with 1 per cent classed as very poor.
A quarter of flood defenses are privately owned and are almost twice as likely to be in poor condition as those maintained by the Environment Agency.
Flood risk: the number of properties at risk of flooding grows every year
In England, there are 12 local authorities where more than one in 10 properties face a flood risk of more than 1 per cent, the benchmark for being considered high risk.
The authorities surveyed are: South Holland, Boston, Fenland, Runnymede, King’s Lynn and West Norfolk, the city of Kingston upon Hull, East Lindsey, North Lincolnshire, Spelthorne, Doncaster, Exeter, Windsor and Maidenhead.
Caroline Johnson, of Allianz UK, said: “It is worrying to see so many homes being granted planning permission in these areas.
‘Floods are traumatic events for homeowners, who can see their homes ruined and lifelong possessions destroyed.
“The Government has announced ambitious plans to build 1.5 million homes during this Parliament and, while we know more new homes are needed, it is important that they are resistant to flooding and bad weather.”
Figures from the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee reveal there are 5.7 million properties in England at risk of flooding.
With at least 22 named storms hitting the UK since the previous report was published in 2021, figures from the Association of British Insurers show the value of weather-related claims will reach £573m in 2023.
Flood and home insurance
Most properties are protected by Flood Re, a joint initiative between the government and insurers that makes flood cover more available and affordable as part of home insurance, but this does not include properties built since 2009. .
That means every new home built in the last 15 years may struggle to find affordable home insurance to cover flooding.
Insurance claims caused by flooding and bad weather can be enormously expensive.
Allianz paid UK flood claims totaling more than £20 million in 2023, with an average cost of £33,000.
The largest claim for flood damage was almost £450,000, and occurred during Storm Babet in October 2023.
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