TO BE PUBLISHED July 2026
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This conference will assess latest developments, policy priorities and next steps for tackling flooding and coastal erosion in England.
It will bring stakeholders and policymakers together to discuss the way forward for targeting and delivery of the Government’s £10.5bn commitment to flood defences over the next ten years. Delegates will also consider implications of reform to Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management funding policy aimed at offering greater support for asset refurbishment and renewal, natural flood management, and deprived areas.
Discussion will draw on concerns from the Environmental Audit Committee’s Flood Resilience in England report published in October 2025, finding that England’s current approach to flood risk management is complex, fragmented, and insufficiently funded.
Ahead of the forthcoming review of the FCERM Strategy, the conference will also be an opportunity to consider how flood and coastal management strategies can most effectively support wider environmental, social and economic objectives - including those set out in the Water White Paper and Environmental Improvement Plan. Sessions will discuss approaches to steering development away from areas at highest flood risk, with concerns around development and land-use policy flagged in the Government’s recently published Land Use Framework. We also expect delegates to consider ways of strengthening the role of the planning system in managing climate impacts, alongside the use of nature-based solutions such as floodplain restoration and sustainable catchment management to reduce flood risk.
Funding reform, programme design, delivery & investment
Discussion will consider the allocation of £830m in funding for flood schemes between 2026-2027, looking at priorities for monitoring and delivery, and considerations for future programme design. Implications of simplified funding models for local investment will be assessed, including the incorporation of social vulnerability and risk factors alongside financial metrics within funding frameworks and decision-making, and how this might influence programme prioritisation.
Delegates will discuss approaches to optimising the balance of funding between asset maintenance and new infrastructure, including priorities for addressing ageing infrastructure. Opportunities for innovative solutions will also be explored following the introduction of dedicated investment targets and appraisal pathways - including in areas such as natural flood management, Sustainable Drainage Systems, and property flood resilience.
With concerns raised by some stakeholders that prioritisation of maintenance and small-scale schemes could risk fragmentation in programme delivery, sessions will look at how new and large-scale schemes can help manage risks associated with cost overruns and delivery complexity. Discussion will also consider approaches to attracting private capital to supplement public allocations and diversify investment sources, alongside frameworks for partnership working to support wider resilience.
Planning, infrastructure, resilience & adaptation
Further discussion will assess priorities for managing surface water flood risk, amidst concerns around how fully it is reflected in planning policy and strategic decision-making. The agenda will also consider approaches to improving monitoring, maintenance and upgrading of sewerage and drainage infrastructure, alongside next steps for Sustainable Drainage Systems, including implications of revisions to the NPPF for standardising and enforcing design and implementation, and considerations relating to enactment of Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.
Approaches to encouraging property resilience will be explored, including the Property Flood Resilience Repair Grant scheme and flood insurance schemes. Delegates will examine progress of the Flood Re scheme and options for transition arrangements in the insurance market, as well as strategies for supporting vulnerable groups, addressing affordability and coverage gaps. Discussion will also consider effective approaches to managing coastal erosion - drawing on experience from Coastal Adaptation Pilots - including options such as selective property purchases, financing solutions, warning systems, and relocation schemes.
We expect a focus on how flooding and climate risk management are being factored into land use decisions, including the role of the National Adaptation Programme in setting resilience standards for infrastructure planning and investment, and implications of the recently published Land Use Framework. Options for integrating data and modelling of flood risk into land use planning and enabling data sharing between relevant public authorities will be considered.
Governance & catchment-based approaches
Further discussion will assess governance and coordination needed to support an integrated, catchment-based approach to flood management - with concerns in recent policy discussion that the current FCERM Strategy, and National Adaptation Programme, may lack sufficiently standardised approaches to adaptation and resilience. Delegates will discuss questions around roles and responsibilities across national and regional delivery partners, and ways forward for strengthening arrangements for oversight, enforceability, and accountability.
The agenda will consider how catchment-based approaches can support wider social and environmental targets, including those set out in the Environmental Improvement Plan and Water White Paper. Attendees will consider implications of reform to water governance and planning for supporting joined-up approaches to flood resilience.
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those already due to attend include officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Ministry of Defence; and The Scottish Government.
