The government is offering a share of £200 million to improve the resilience of communities at risk of flooding and coastal change across England.

The new Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme, managed by the Environment Agency, will select 25 areas to pilot new and creative approaches to improve resilience to flooding and coastal change.

That could include planting trees and restoring peatland to reduce run-off into rivers or making changes in people’s homes so they can recover more quickly after flooding.

Each area will receive around £6 million between 2021 and 2027, with the rest of the money supporting other flooding and coastal resilience activities including the development of long term investment pathways in the Thames and Humber Estuaries, Yorkshire and the Severn Valley.

Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFAs) and Coast Protection Authorities (CPAs) are being invited to apply for funding until 15th January 2021.

Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said: “The impact of flooding can be devastating and even more so for those who have suffered repeatedly. Our ambitious new Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme will help communities test different approaches to become more resilient to flooding and coastal change alongside our record investment to build and maintain our flood defences.

“This funding will not only help to build long-term resilience in those 25 areas, but the evidence and learning from those projects will be used to inform future approaches to and investments in flood and coastal erosion risk management across the country.”