Several homes across Marlow are now ‘better protected’ from the effects of climate change according to the Environment Agency.
The EA has revealed that 300,000 homes across the UK are now better off if adverse weather conditions were to hit their respective areas, with Marlow being one of the towns being mentioned in their report.
The report has revealed that the town is one of many to have had help from the Environment Agency, with the EA confirming today (March 24), that they have exceeded its target in delivering the Government’s £2.6 billion investment in flood and coastal defence schemes over the last six years, which began in 2015.
Heavy rain badly impacted Marlow this year
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One of these projects took place in Marlow as the EA worked in partnership with Buckinghamshire County Council, Marlow Town Council and those who live in the area to deliver a £9.5 million scheme which was completed in 2018.
The new defences and groundwater pumps reduce the impact of flooding to 287 properties during a flood with a 1.33 per cent annual probability of flooding (also known as a one in 75 year standard of protection).
Emma Howard Boyd, Chair of the Environment Agency, said: “The success of this programme is measured in numbers, 700 projects, 300,000 homes, nearly 600,000 acres of agricultural land, thousands of businesses and major pieces of infrastructure, on time and within budget.
Marlow has had a long history of flooding issues
“But the sense of security these protections bring to people, and the benefits to nature, can’t easily be demonstrated on a spreadsheet.
“With the COP26 climate talks coming to Glasgow this year, this programme is a fantastic example of adaptation in action, but there’s a lot more to do.”
Sir James Bevan, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency, added: “I pay tribute to our skilled teams and our partners who have worked so hard to achieve this – it’s not easy to bring major infrastructure projects in on time and on budget.
“The Environment Agency’s six-year flood defence building programme has done exactly that, better protecting 300,000 homes against the damage and misery of flooding.
“The climate emergency is bringing more extreme weather, so we must now redouble our efforts to make our communities more resilient in future.”
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In the last six years, the Environment Agency and its partners have completed more than 700 projects to better protect more than 300,000 homes.
This includes nearly 600,000 acres of agricultural land, thousands of businesses, and major pieces of infrastructure.
Other areas that the Environmental Agency has improved for when adverse weather conditions hit are in Godalming (Surrey), Hull (Yorkshire) and Ipswich (Suffolk).
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