Thanet will benefit from £6.5m of investment to help protect against flooding and coastal erosion.
The funding comes as part of the Government’s £860 million investment to protect communities from flooding in 2021-22, and part of a wider record investment of £5.2 billion into protection from flooding and coastal erosion over the next six years.
A consultation will be launched in the autumn looking at how to better protect frequently flooded communities.
Some 913 homes and businesses in Thanet will be better protected from flooding and coastal erosion by 2026-27, as part of the plans.
The Flood and Coastal Erosion Investment Plan outlines how £5.2 billion of investment over the next six years will be spent, including more than £860 million in 2021-22 on boosting the design and construction of more than 1,000 flooding alleviation schemes.
Some 294 homes will benefit from £2.2 million of investment in 2021-22, as part of the £860 million worth of investment.
.The consultation in the autumn will look at how to better protect frequently flooded communities, following a call for evidence earlier this year.
It will consider how to strengthen the assessment of local circumstances, such as where areas have flooded on multiple occasions, when allocating funding during the six-year plan.
The Government is also bringing in tighter guidance for planning authorities.
Improvements to flood insurance such as measures to allow flooded households to claim extra money to install property flood resilience measures – like air brick covers, flood doors and flood resistant paint – and measures to tackle the risks from surface water flooding are also included in the plans.
South Thanet MP Craig Mackinlay said: “Flooding can devastate communities and so we must put the necessary protections in place to tackle it.
“The £6.5 million to protect 913 homes in Thanet will help to deliver on this by boosting the design and construction of flood alleviation schemes and putting the necessary measures in place to protect homes from flooding and coastal erosion.
“This will help to guard homes and families from the devastating impact of flooding, allowing people to feel reassured about the safety of their home.”
Environment Secretary, George Eustice, added: “The tragic recent events in Germany and Belgium serve as a sobering reminder of how devastating flooding can be.
“We are standing by communities and will bolster defences against flooding across England with many thousands more properties better protected by 2027.
“It’s important we take action right across the system. Our comprehensive plan will achieve this by tightening planning procedures, helping more people access insurance and making homes more resilient to flooding.”
