The Influence of Flood Risk Management within the BFI Area

The Broadland Futures Initiative (BFI) is a partnership for future flood risk management in the Broadland area. Our main goal is to agree a plan for future flood risk management that better copes with changing climate and rising sea level (see later pages for project information). The focus will be on what will happen from the mid-2020s onwards, however we need to start planning now to secure support and make well-informed decisions.

This document aims to inform you about the range of assets and their benefits across the study area which are influenced by the current approaches to flood risk management. For example, agricultural land (an asset) provides crops and enables livestock grazing (the benefits), activities which are supported by the network of embankments, ditches and pumps (flood risk management). However, climate change and other pressures mean that we may need to adapt future approaches to flood risk management.  

Assets are things we value (e.g. infrastructure, environment or heritage). Benefits are what the asset provides (e.g. economic growth, recreation or community). All important terms are in the glossary.

To provide an overview of how the local economy, as well as the social and natural environments, are influenced by flood risk management, we explore links for the following groups of assets:

• Natural environment
• Heritage assets
• Recreation and leisure facilities
• Businesses and farming
• Residential buildings and public services
• Utility infrastructure

There is a vast and diverse range of assets within the 370 sq km BFI plan area, which includes the full extent of the Broads Authority executive area and key stretches of the coast which could influence flooding in the Broads. It also includes parts of Great Yarmouth. The plan area is predominantly in east Norfolk but also crosses into north east Suffolk; refer to the interactive map opposite. Spanning internationally-important inland and coastal environments, the area supports rural and urban economies with successful tourism, agriculture, recreation and technology businesses.

As demonstrated by the significant cultural history of the area, it has always been a desirable place to live and relax. However, much of this now occurs on land that is already at or below mean sea level. Managing the continual risk of flooding requires substantial investment in planning and infrastructure. The next section describes how existing flood risk management influences different parts of the land across the plan area.

The consequences of flooding include direct material damage to homes (made worse by deeper and polluted flood water), businesses (where frequent or long duration flooding can severely impact their viability), transport and utility infrastructure (where danger can be increased by fast flowing water) and the natural environment (particularly freshwater habitats flooded by saline water). In addition to these direct impacts, flooding also indirectly impacts our lives, affecting aspects like health and wellbeing, the strength of communities and economic growth. The aim of flood risk management is to avoid or minimise any harmful direct and indirect consequences. Through careful planning, the aim is to achieve the benefits in one area without any unacceptable consequences elsewhere. 

Avoiding or minimising negative direct (e.g. damage to buildings) and indirect (e.g. health & wellbeing) impacts is the aim of flood risk management. 

The direct and indirect influence of flood risk management can be described by looking at the range of assets across the plan area, and the benefits they provide. For example, our homes are material assets which offer many benefits, including health, safety & security. The following pages summarise the assets across the plan area which to some degree are influenced by flood risk management, including: assets in the natural environment; those that exist because of the heritage of the area; the natural and built assets which offer recreation and leisure opportunities; businesses which contribute to the economy; the communities within which we live and the supporting services and infrastructure which we rely on. This highlights many different stakeholders who we would like to involve in the BFI plan.

We can also begin to identify the benefits, which are the things we value in the assets. The wheel to the right captures a range of benefits which, together, improve our quality of life. Every asset provides us with a number of these benefits. Some are more strongly influenced by flood risk management than others. For example, travel (a benefit) is not possible safely if a road is flooded, whereas flooded soils are still able to store carbon from the atmosphere. The more strongly assets and their benefits are linked to flood risk management, the stronger the influence is. Understanding these links will guide the Plan for future flood risk management, help us understand the impact of its actions and identify which partners could benefit from being involved in its delivery.

The map opposite shows the location of natural environment assets. Click on the numbers to learn more.

Benefits provided by the majority of these environmental assets, and which will be influenced by current flood risk management to varying degrees include: biodiversity (rich mosaic of habitats supports a quarter of the UK’s rarest plants and animals), landscape & aesthetics (including unreclaimed fen, drained marshland, relict estuary and coastal dunes), and regulation & ethics (many characteristics are protected by international and national law). The assets also support outdoor-based tourism & recreation (e.g. boating, walking, wildlife watching, angling and visiting nature reserves).

Environmental assets provide benefits which support biodiversity, as well as the social and economic quality of our lives. 

The following additional benefits are also influenced by flood risk management. Soils enable farming of crops & livestock, and storage of carbon which would otherwise contribute to climate change. Designated environmental sites are important for the advancement of science, knowledge & skills. And open green space encourages individual health & wellbeing and community participation.

Freshwater sites are consistently more strongly influenced by existing flood risk management, primarily keeping high salinity and nutrient water away to preserve the freshwater-dependent ecosystems. Without this influence of flood risk management, the sites may be subject to change which could compromise their unique biodiversity and international status. 

Permanent water bodies (e.g. rivers and broads) are not highly influenced by flood risk management structures, as there are none within the channel, although embankments and pumps may affect water levels and changing the visual appearance of the landscape. Although soils are a natural asset, flood risk management has a relatively high influence as it reduces the impacts of flooding with high salinity and nutrient water. Artificial drainage of peat soils can unintentionally degrade the quality of the soils and release stored carbon. For the open green spaces, many of their benefits rely on people being able to use them, and so flood risk management has a moderate influence, reducing the frequency with which sites are inaccessible due to flooding. 

The map opposite shows the location of the heritage assets. Click on the numbers to learn more.

Historic England classify the area as having exceptional waterlogged heritage.

Benefits provided by the heritage assets, and which will be influenced by current flood risk management to varying degrees include: cultural heritage (together with countryside and wildlife, this defines the special qualities of the area), stewardship & change (protecting the area’s significant heritage for the present, and for future generations of communities and visitors) and tourism & recreation (the area welcomes over 10 million staying and day-trip tourism visits to its coast and seaside resorts, countryside and market towns every year).

Flood risk management is highly influential on these old, built structures, where it reduces both the likelihood and consequences of flooding. Deeper flooding can be the primary cause of greater damage to man-made structures. However, the flood risk structures also minimise frequent flooding which enables visitors to access sites, and supports the current stewards in their work to preserve these cultural assets. Many heritage assets are found within and around existing settlements, in particular Great Yarmouth. These could benefit from approaches to manage flooding to whole communities. Elsewhere, heritage assets may be more isolated (e.g. drainage mills), and localised approaches may be more appropriate.

The map opposite shows the location of recreation & leisure assets. Click on the numbers to learn more.

Benefits provided by recreation & leisure assets, and which will be influenced by current flood risk management to varying degrees include: tourism & recreation (the range of outdoor and indoor opportunities is fundamental to why people come to the area), economic growth (e.g. £164 million of the annual income from tourism in the Broads was spent on recreation, food and drink and anglers contribute more than £100 million to the local economy each year), and employment & productivity (e.g. visitors to the Broads help support over 7,000 full time jobs and almost a third of Great Yarmouth’s employment is related to tourism). Additional benefits of happiness & motivation and community cohesion & development are also influenced by flood risk management.

As well as adapting the way we approach flood risk management in the future, it is possible that the assets themselves can be adapted so that the influence of flood risk management need not be as strong, and their resilience to flooding and climate change improves.

Although the broads and rivers have no in-channel flood risk management structures, embankments and pumps influence water level and quality and, therefore, have a moderate influence on navigation and angling. Public rights of way are similarly natural assets, but many are along and behind flood embankments where the presence of these structures is important to enable public access. On the coast, the wide extent of sandy beach available for recreation around Sea Palling and Waxham is partly due to the off-shore reefs protecting the sea wall.

Built entertainment and leisure facilities are strongly influenced by flood risk management structures, since these minimise the depths of flooding which increase the cost of damage, as well as the frequency of flooding which would otherwise limit access to the facilities.

Some assets (e.g. golf courses) have both built and natural elements. These are moderately influenced by existing flood risk management structures since some benefits (e.g. landscape, biodiversity) will still be provided even if flooding limits peoples' access, whereas other benefits (e.g. community participation) cannot be provided.

The map opposite shows the location of local business & farming assets. Click on the numbers to learn more.

Benefits provided by local business & farming assets, and which will be influenced by current flood risk management to varying degrees include: economic growth (the Norfolk and Suffolk economy contributes £36 billion to the nation) and employment & productivity (Norfolk and Suffolk have a higher proportion of people engaged in the labour market than the national average).

The reed and sedge harvesting industry from the Broads fens continues to be an important part of the rural economy, linking to its cultural and industrial heritage.

The manufacturing, office and warehouse buildings, as well as different forms of holiday accommodation, are strongly influenced by flood risk management. Similar to other built assets requiring regular access, it reduces direct damage through lower flood depths, and minimises periods when the assets are inaccessible.

Many benefits provided by agriculture are natural and could continue despite some flooding. Overall, however, agriculture is highly influenced by flood risk management through reducing the frequency, duration and poor quality of flood waters that could otherwise damage crops, livestock and buildings. 

Similarly, reed & sedge harvesting locations can be impacted by changes in water levels and quality, but to a lesser degree than conventional agriculture. The reed and sedge industry may, therefore, have more resilience to some impacts of climate change.

The map opposite shows the location of residential buildings and public services. Click on the numbers to learn more.

Benefits provided by residential buildings & public services, and which will be influenced by current flood risk management to varying degrees include: health, safety & security (authorities seek to provide natural, social and economic environments which promote health and wellbeing), economic growth (fundamental to supporting and growing the £36 billion economy of Norfolk and Suffolk) and cohesion & development (living in the plan area, particularly close to the water, is highly prized and local communities strongly identify with the area and value its special qualities).

Overall, these built assets are strongly influenced by existing flood risk management. Whilst depths of flooding mainly influence direct damage, the frequency of flooding most likely influences provision of the benefits.

Waste facilities have both natural and built aspects. Flooding of waste facilities risks releasing contaminants into air, ground and surface water and, therefore, flood risk management has a high influence.

Because the majority of benefits cannot be provided by the various types of buildings when they are flooded, flood risk management has a strong influence. Public service and emergency service buildings, as well as transport infrastructure (e.g. rail stations and garages), can be at greater risk of flooding than residential buildings since their ground floor access is closer to road level. In these situations, more frequent shallow flooding can cause damage and the asset to temporarily close. 

The map opposite shows the location of utility assets. Click on the numbers to learn more.

Benefits provided by utility assets, and which will be influenced by current flood risk management to varying degrees include: economic growth (fundamental to supporting and growing the £36 billion economy of Norfolk and Suffolk) and cohesion & development (vital national infrastructure which is necessary for a country to function and upon which daily life depends).

In addition, communications infrastructure facilitates communication & relationships, water infrastructure provides water supply and energy infrastructure provides energy.

The coast around the BFI area is at the centre of the world’s largest market for offshore wind.

These built assets are highly influenced by existing flood risk management, which significantly reduces the frequency and depth of flooding. Some assets, e.g. land drainage infrastructure, are specifically sited in the lowest lying areas prone to flooding.

Being largely privately owned and nationally-important assets, many of them are protected to a high standard from flood risk. This is typically through a combination of local measures installed by the asset owners, as well as benefitting from the wider network of embankments, walls and pumps. 

Measures are also required to maintain safe access to the assets, for any works required during flood events.

Almost all of the plan area is influenced to some degree by the existing network of flood risk management structures, primarily comprising embankments, walls and pumps. The majority of this land (75% of the plan area) is already at or below mean sea level, or is at risk of flooding in specific events and is, therefore, more influenced by flood risk management. Together with planning policies, the flood warning service and emergency planning, these structures manage flooding that could otherwise have a greater impact on our lives through direct material damage (e.g. to homes and businesses) and indirectly through our health and wellbeing, economic growth etc. 

Adaptation will be an important characteristic of the BFI plan.

Identifying the range of assets and provided benefits which are influenced by existing flood risk management structures has demonstrated that these measures underpin much of what we consider important in the plan area. However, we also recognise that climate change and other pressures mean that we may need to adapt the way we deliver flood risk management in the future.

The assets and benefits which are influenced range from those which are statutory (e.g. designated environmental sites are protected by international and/or national laws) and those which the plan area needs to continue as a desirable place to live, work and visit (e.g. employment & productivity and social cohesion & development), to those which support special qualities of the area (e.g. cultural & spiritual values). This highlights the many different stakeholder groups which could be involved in developing and implementing the Plan.

The breadth of assets & benefits influenced by flood risk management will be recognised in the BFI plan.

Different flood risk management approaches can influence different characteristics of flooding. For example, greater depths in larger, but less frequent, flood events can strongly influence material damage (e.g. to buildings), whereas shallower, more frequently occurring, flooding could influence the ability of public services to operate (e.g. road closures). Flood water that is saline or with high levels of nutrients can strongly influence natural assets (e.g. freshwater habitats and agriculture).

The BFI plan will include a mix of different approaches to flood risk management.

Built assets and their benefits are influenced more strongly by flood risk management than natural ones. Where assets can be adapted over time to work more closely with our changing environment, the influence of flood risk management will reduce, which will improve resilience to flooding and climate change. For example, approaches to water resource management that store water in times of flood so that it can be re-used in times of drought, and ‘wet’ agriculture that selects crops and approaches more aligned to the native environment.

The diverse range of assets identified provide a number of common benefits, which highlights the inter-connectivity within the plan area. Also, considering the indirect influences of flood risk management highlights that sometimes there can be unforeseen and unintended consequences (e.g. affecting wider water levels), which need to be understood and managed. We are, therefore, developing a broad understanding of flood risk and its interactions with climate and key aspects of the plan area. This is also important because successful adaptation to climate change is achieved when actions taken – or deliberately not taken – do not limit actions that may become necessary in the future.

These observations on the influential nature of existing flood risk management in the plan area will be used to help inform the development of the plan for future flood risk management, that prepares us for the challenge of changing climate and rising sea level.

The BFI plan is taking a broad view to identify and mitigate any unintended consequences, and so we can successfully adapt in the future.