Managing coastal flood risk to residential properties in England: integrating spatial planning, engineering and insurance

Abstract

Flooding is the most damaging natural hazard in England today. Coastal flood risk management aims to reduce the impacts of coastal flooding through adaptation measures including spatial planning, engineered hard and soft interventions, and insurance. Yet there are few reviews which collectively assess these measures. This paper aims to characterise and evaluate coastal flood risk management policy in England across planning, engineering and insurance approaches, focusing on their ability to manage risk to residential properties. An analysis of the literature and government reports reveals that together these management approaches address the different dimensions of flood risk. Nonetheless, the three approaches are legislated and regulated in relative isolation, and in their current formation have contrary implications for existing and future residential developments. There is also further scope to increase the resilience of planning, defence and insurance to social and environmental uncertainties in financing, governance and climate change. We recommend that future research and strategies in coastal flood risk management give greater consideration to multiple flood risk management approaches in conjunction, continuing to expand the integration between planning, engineering and insurance approaches.