Following the recent Environment Agency Flood Map for Planning (FMfP) updates, Lucion’s Associate Director of Water Services, Rachel Shepherd, explains the latest changes and what they mean for property owners and managers across the UK.
Understanding the FMfP Changes
The Environment Agency has fundamentally changed how flood risk information is presented through their Flood Map for Planning (FMfP).
At the heart of these changes is the new ‘Flood Zones plus climate change’ layer, which combines Flood Zones 2 and 3 to show potential expansion of flood-risk areas over the next century. This integration provides an indication of how climate change could affect flood risk across England over the next century.
The timing of these updates is particularly significant. The latest National Flood Risk Assessment (NaFRA) reveals a stark reality: 6.3 million properties in England currently face flood risks from rivers, sea, and surface water – a figure projected to reach 8 million by mid-century.
It is important to note that the ‘Flood Zones plus climate change’ layer does not account for the presence of existing flood defences, nor proposed defence improvements. Therefore, actual risk may be lower than indicated and can be clarified through site-specific assessment.
Impact Across Sectors
The impact of these changes ripples through various sectors of the property and infrastructure industry. For property developers and planners, the implications are immediate and practical. While validated planning applications won’t be affected, all new applications must reference the updated flood map layer. The simplified view makes it easier to apply the Sequential Test.
Property portfolio managers face a different challenge. The new mapping necessitates a comprehensive reassessment of future flood risk across entire portfolios, with particular attention needed for properties that may now fall within expanded risk areas.
This isn’t just about current risk – it’s about understanding how climate change could affect property values and insurance costs, as well as the operational impacts, financial liabilities and risks to life, in the decades to come.
Essential Actions for Property Owners
In light of these changes, property owners and managers should prioritise:
- Reviewing current flood risk assessments against new mapping
- Identifying properties in newly designated risk areas
- Evaluating existing flood resilience measures
- Updating emergency response procedures
- Developing long-term climate adaptation strategies
The Environment Agency isn’t standing still. Another significant update planned for autumn will introduce surface water climate change extents and banded depth information. This will provide even more detailed insights into how flood risks might evolve under different climate scenarios, allowing for more nuanced planning and protection strategies. We will include these with FLOODScreen and FLOODScreen Explorer as soon as they become available.
Supporting Your Flood Risk Journey
To help our clients navigate these changes effectively, we’ve developed FLOODScreen, a new interactive flood risk comparison tool. This service provides critical capabilities including:
- Portfolio-wide visualisation of surface water and river flood risks
- Access to the latest NaFRA data through user-friendly mapping
- High-risk asset identification
- Initial risk assessment planning support
- Future risk forecasting using climate projections
To help you get started, we have also developed our free FLOODScreen Explorer tool, designed to help you make quick flood risk assessments of singular properties.
Access FLOODScreen Explorer by clicking here.
Understanding your flood risk exposure is crucial in light of the latest Flood Map for Planning (FMfP) updates. Start by reviewing your properties against the updated flood maps using FLOODScreen Explorer and consider how future climate scenarios might affect your building.
Looking for a larger or more in-depth Flood Risk Assessment? Contact our water services team to learn more about managing your flood risk effectively.
