England’s flood-prone home construction crisis: one in nine new houses built in high-risk areas

A troubling new study reveals that England’s housing development is increasingly ignoring flood risks, with one in nine new homes constructed between 2022 and 2024 located in areas vulnerable to flooding. This alarming trend represents a significant worsening from the previous decade, when one in 13 new homes were built in potential flood zones between 2013 and 2022.

The data, compiled by insurance giant Aviva, highlights a growing disconnect between climate resilience planning and housing development priorities. As extreme weather events become more frequent and severe due to climate change, the decision to build in flood-prone areas puts thousands of new homeowners at risk of property damage, displacement, and financial hardship.

This concerning pattern raises serious questions about England’s planning policies and developers’ risk assessment practices. Building in flood-risk areas not only endangers residents but also creates long-term costs for communities, insurance systems, and emergency services. The trend suggests that short-term housing demands may be overriding crucial environmental and safety considerations.

The implications extend beyond individual homeowners to broader environmental and economic consequences. Flood-prone developments often require expensive flood defenses, strain local infrastructure during extreme weather events, and contribute to increased insurance premiums across affected regions. As climate scientists predict more intense rainfall and flooding in the coming decades, the wisdom of continued construction in these vulnerable areas becomes increasingly questionable, demanding urgent policy intervention to protect both people and the environment.