Enhancing the evidence base for property flood resilience

The pilot study reviewed in detail a sample of 702 home insurance claims for flooding from two insurers over the years 2013 – 2019 to enhance the evidence base around key factors affecting cost and duration of flood damage claims.https://www.floodre.co.uk/enhancing-the-evidence-base-for-property-flood-resilience

The impact of flooding on the value of residential property in the UK

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Wolverhampton for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)Flooding of residential property is a real and growing phenomenon in the UK causing short and long-term detriment of various kinds to its victims. The issue of potential decrease in value of those properties which are located on the floodplain, though much discussed in the media, has received scant attention in the UK research literature. An extensive literature survey has revealed a need for methodological innovation in the field of temporal impact of flooding and the inadequacy of the current paradigms for inclusion of insurance into flood modelling. A wide-ranging review of data sources, including discussion with industry experts, has identified the requirement to generate primary data on the availability and cost of flood insurance. A novel framework has been developed for this research. This framework is an extension of the recent research in flood modelling and incorporates ideas from the wider house price analysis literature. Data collected via a questionnaire survey of householders has been combined with secondary data on property prices and flood designation in order to attribute any loss in property value to the correct vector of underlying flood status. The output from this study makes a contribution to the understanding of the impact of flooding on house prices, allowing for better valuation advice. Empirical findings are that the understandable concerns of residential property owners at risk of flooding regarding long term loss of property value are largely unfounded. Price discounts are observed for some recently flooded areas but they are temporary Improved appreciation of the impact of claims and flood risk on the cost of insurance has also emerged. The insurance market was not found to be instrumental in reducing the price of property. The output from the study also makes a methodological contribution in extending concepts relating to the relationship between flooding, insurance and house prices. This development is anticipated to facilitate refinement and updating of the empirical findings with reduced effort in the light of future events

Evidence for improved urban flood resilience by sustainable drainage retrofit

The rapid growth of cities under modern development pressure has resulted in surface water flooding becoming an increasing hazard and future climate change uncertainties may exacerbate this threat still further: retrofitting sustainable drainage systems to attenuate stormwater runoff has been advocated as part of an integrated solution required to address this problem. Many of these adaptations not only enhance a community’s resilience to flooding, but may also offer additional benefits in terms of improved environmental amenity and quality of life. The evidence base for sustainable drainage is critically evaluated in respect of the implications for urban planning, as applied to existing housing stocks and business properties in urban areas worldwide. It is concluded that this approach can make a substantial contribution towards urban resilience as part of an integrated approach to managing extreme storms. This will be of interest to urban planners and designers considering the implementation of integrated flood risk management

Assessing the significance of the economic impact of Marine Conservation Zones in the Irish Sea upon the fisheries sector and regional economy in Northern Ireland

This paper highlights the tension between advocacy for ‘Blue growth’ in maritime policy and efforts to safeguard future economic growth via the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. In 2015, policy-makers withdrew three of four proposed Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) in the Irish Sea from consideration for designation, due to concerns that they could significantly impact on the fisheries sector in Northern Ireland because they overlap with prawn fishing grounds in the Irish Sea. Although research has quantified the potential impact upon fishing vessels, none has quantified the impact upon the fisheries sector nor assessed the significance of this impact. Arguably, MCZ designations (or lack thereof) based on the ‘significance’ of an impact require robust underpinning evidence. This paper reports the findings of an Economic Impact Assessment, which has quantified the impact of a decline in landings upon the Northern Ireland fisheries sector and regional economy (data which is currently absent from the evidence base for the MCZ designation process in England). It finds that this will incur job losses in three fishing ports in Northern Ireland, but is unlikely to have a significant impact upon Northern Ireland's fisheries sector and regional economy in terms of jobs and Gross Value Added (GVA). In the worst case, the resulting economic impact is a decrease of £1.05–1.12 m/year GVA in Northern Ireland, which is 1.1% of the contribution of fishing and fish processing to the regional economy. Economic significance assessments, using this methodology, may be useful in supporting the evidence base underpinning MCZ designation and other aspects of marine planning

The impact of flooding on the price of residential property: A transactional analysis of the UK market

The increase in frequency and severity of flood events in the UK has highlighted the question of the impact of flooding on the value of property. Previous studies in the UK and internationally have measured a wide variety of impacts from no impact to discounts of more than 40 per cent of property price. Transactional measurements have not previously been attempted in the UK property market due to lack of available data. In order to improve the available evidence base, a variation of the repeat sales methodology has been used to measure the impact of flooding on the price of transacted residential property for 13 locations in the UK. The results reveal the impact of flood events to be highly variable and temporary and no effect of flood designation. The policy implications of these findings with regard to the perceptions and behaviours of property stakeholders are explored. © 2010 Taylor & Francis

Supporting the uptake of low cost resilience: FD2682 rapid evidence assessment final report

As part of the Defra policy objective to help individuals take more ownership for management of their flood risk a Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) around low cost resilience approaches to preventing damage once water is allowed into properties has been undertaken The aim of the REA was to collate the evidence of the existence and efficacy of low cost approaches and explore how they can be best implemented by property owners and occupier

Accessibility of flood risk insurance in the UK: Confusion, competition and complacency

Flood risk insurance can be an effective tool in assisting the restoration of damaged property after a flood event and sustaining communities through difficult times. It can also form part of a wider flood risk management strategy. In the light of recent flood events in the UK and in the context of changing property insurance markets, the universal cover previously enjoyed by floodplain residents has been called into question. Conflicting media and industry views leave the floodplain resident and the wider community in confusion. A survey of floodplain residents in England regarding their experience with flooding and flood insurance in England has been undertaken. The results reveal that some floodplain residents do indeed encounter difficulties when seeking insurance for their homes. However, despite the risk-averse policies of some insurers, availability of insurance is still strong in both at-risk and previously flooded locations. Success in gaining insurance may lead to complacency among residents who see no advantage in pursuing other, more costly, damage mitigation actions. As a tool in risk management, therefore, the market is prevented from realising its potential by competition, which results in a lack of a consistent approach, rewards homeowners' search strategies and reduces information flow

Evidence review for property flood resilience phase 2 report

Flood Re was established to promote the availability and affordability of flood insurance whilst supporting the transition to risk-based and affordable flood insurance for UK households at high risk of flooding. In order for the goal of affordability to be achievable, there is a need to manage down the risk to these properties. One way to reduce risk is to install measures at a property level, often termed property flood resilience (hereafter PFR). This report reflects findings from Phase 2 of a three phase project; it is designed to assist Flood Re to establish an evidence base for the value of PFR in order to help inform decisions about the PFR support to homeowners that could/should be provided by Flood Re in future. The findings of an evidence review, including synthesis of the existing literature and selected additional analyses of data extracted from the evidence sources, are presented in answer to the question, “How effective are property level resistance and resilience measures in reducing loss due to damage and time to repair damage resulting from flooding for UK householdsand their insurers?

Supporting the uptake of low cost resilience: Summary of technical findings (FD2682)

This report summarises evidence collected by the Defra research project FD2682 regarding technical aspects of low cost flood repairable approaches designed to limit damage to buildings. It is derived from a Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) that is reported in greater detail in the accompanying REA report. Flood repairable measures applied to buildings are designed to limit damage or speed recovery once water has entered a property. They include strategies to keep water away from building elements (such as raising power sockets) and the use of waterproof or water resistant materials, including those capable of retaining their integrity and recovering quickly after inundation. The measures are useful when water exclusion approaches are not practical or cost effective, and also as an addition to water exclusion approaches as a failsafe.The REA comprised a systematic scoping of relevant academic and grey literature; consultation with a panel of experts; interviews with professionals from the sphere of flood reinstatement and property protection; and interviews with occupants of properties where flood repairable approaches have already been adopted. This was followed by an assessment of the costs and benefits of selected low cost flood repairable measures and of illustrative packages of low cost repairable measures.The review found 139 suggested measures that could be regarded as flood repairable, over half of these being ‘low cost’ or ‘low additional cost’ (for example, when adopted during reinstatement or other building work) and which will prove to be cost beneficial for properties in the UK. Four packages of measures were costed. Three of the four packages evaluated could result in a pay back after just one subsequent flood (assuming they were successful in preventing damage). The most appropriate measures for any individual property depends upon a combination of factors, however, including the structure and condition of the building itself; the nature of the flood risk; and the preferences and lifestyle of the occupants.Scientific evidence on the performance of measures was found to be scanty, but the experts in the industry were seen to be successfully applying experiential knowledge along with current guidance on an ad hoc basis. The wider industry was seen as less well informed, with some flood repairable features being removed at reinstatement, as their purpose and value is not yet understood.The report concludes that further research is needed to provide evidence of the potential effectiveness of flood repairable approaches. Attention should also be directed towards understanding the performance of flood repairable measures during and after floods to ensure that the potential effectiveness is realised in practice. Improved technical guidance and training is recommended to further develop the understanding and awareness within the flood damage industry

Using Learning and Action Alliances to build capacity for local flood risk management

Learning and Action Alliances (LAAs) are becoming an increasingly popular method for overcoming the challenges associated with participatory forms of governance, where decision making requires collaboration between stakeholders. In flood risk management, LAAs provide a mechanism through which institutional participants can come together, share knowledge, innovate, and devise solutions to ‘wicked’ problems. While the social learning generated at LAAs is now well understood, the mechanism by which this learning is translated into action is less so. In this paper, we argue that in order to maximise the potential for action, LAAs must attend to different elements of capacity building, in order that action can diffuse outwards, from the individual members of the LAA, to their organisations and society beyond. By investigating two UK case study examples, we illustrate how different elements might be utilised in combination, to maximise the potential for longer-term, longer-lasting change. We conclude that the architects of participatory processes, including LAAs, should attend to different elements of capacity building, and consider those best suited to their individual contexts and objectives