Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress his Department has made on updating plans for all (a) catchments and (b) coastal cells in England.

The government recognises the important role that strategic planning plays in managing flood and coastal erosion risks.

The Flood Risk Regulations 2009 set out the current statutory process for regional flood risk planning over a six-year cycle. The Environment Agency is working with Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFAs) to review and update Flood Risk Management Plans (FRMPs) as part of the next cycle of flood risk planning.

This will aim to improve local flood risk management planning and will also inform the government’s long-term commitment to transform local flood risk planning, as set out in the government Policy Statement on Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management.

Coastal erosion is a natural and ongoing process and the government is committed to supporting communities on the coastline to adapt to and manage the risks of climate change. Defra has provided £1 million to refresh the 20 Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs) in England. The Environment Agency is working with coastal authorities to update SMPs which set the future policy direction and management of the coast.