8% of all newbuilds are at risk of flooding says insurance giant

Over 100,000 homes that have been built in England in the last 10 years are at risk of flooding and many have no defences in place at all, new analysis from insurance giant Aviva reveals.

One in thirteen (8%) new homes – almost 110,000 – are at risk from flooding due to the location where they have been built and those built after 2018 are not covered by the Flood Re reinsurance scheme.

FLOOD ZONE

Since the end of 2013 some 355,330 new homes have been completed in England, with 8% (109,017 homes) built in National Flood Zone 3 – land that has a 1 in 100 or greater annual probability of river flooding.

And while some of these properties will be protected by flood defence systems others will have no protection in place at all.

Jason Storah, Chief Executive UK & Ireland General Insurance, Aviva, says: “It has been heartbreaking to see the devastation caused by flooding during recent winter storms.

“It’s concerning that almost 110,000 new homes have been built in the last decade in a flood zone, leaving thousands of homeowners and tenants at risk.

“Crucially, these homes are not covered by the Flood Re insurance scheme and many may have been constructed without flood resilience.

“Not only are these newly-built homes at high risk, they also face the prospect of repeated flooding and may not be protected by flood defences to prevent or limit flood damage.”

STRENGTHENED RULES

He adds: “It is paramount that any future plans for new homes include strengthened rules to prevent the development of buildings in current and potential flood zones.

“If we are to prevent more scenes of devastation caused by extreme weather, we need to work collectively to change where and how we build.

“By building houses that are climate-ready and able to withstand the multiple impacts of climate change we can provide safe and sustainable homes for our future generations.”