Environment Agency warns that the Fens could become ‘uninhabitable’ without additional funding for flood defences and action plan needed for future
The Fenlands could become permanently underwater if the region’s flood defences are not reformed, the Environment Agency has warned.
The organisation launched a Fens 2100 Programme around two years ago to look at ways to protect the Fenlands from future flooding.
It said the Fenlands - which cover parts of Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk - have flooded seven times since 2000 - and this is likely to occur more frequently without investment in the region’s flood defences.
Andrew Bailey, Humber Advisor for the Environment Agency, said: “The area is at risk of flooding more and more. Without a sustainable flood management system, the area would become a wetland and would become uninhabitable.
“Without adequate flood defences in place, if the pumping station was to stop working, huge areas would become underwater within the next five to 10 years.”
He told members of the planning policy committee at a meeting at East Lindsey District Council on Thursday, October 16, that the region is an artificial landscape which needs to be protected.
He added: “ It’s a low-lying region which is mainly below sea level and has historically been marshland.
“Much of the land is below sea level and it’s one of the most man-made landscapes in the UK. It’s an entirely man-made landscape.”
Mr Bailey showed councillors a ‘hypothetical’ map of the possible risks of flooding in the Fens if the existing flood defences were not maintained.
He added: “We cannot shy away from the need for investment. We’re going to need to have a serious conversation about the future of the Fens.
“The land has historically been really important but we need to decide what we want from the land in the future.”
Mr Bailey went on to say that the Environment Agency is working with local communities and organisations to develop an action plan of what the Fenlands will look like in the future and what flood defences will be required.
He added: “Over the generations, our ancestors have responded to the changing climate. We’ve seen communities adapt and we need to continue to do the same.
“We need to work together with our partners across the Fenlands to decide what we want from this landscape.
“These assets are critical in protecting the landscape from flooding and we need to support those assets.
“We’re working with local authorities, including the local planning authorities, and we’re having discussions about what that future might look like.”
Mr Bailey said the Environment Agency will be speaking with the government, urging it to provide additional funding and support for the organisation to implement better flood protection measures across the Fenlands.
He added: “Our role in the short term is to maintain the existing assets but in the long term we need to look at what is next for the Fenlands.
“We want to be clear that while there are significant issues and challenges we have come to the starting position that this is non-negotiable.
“We’re not asking for the funds not to be there but the Fens do need to evolve and adapt going forward. It can only operate because of the infrastructure that underpins it.
“This infrastructure is critical but it is ageing and it’s becoming harder to look after and it needs replacing.
“The Environment Agency will be having discussions with the government to ensure that this infrastructure is protected.”
Mr Bailey went on to warn that not doing anything was not an option and the Environment Agency needs to plan ahead to ensure that existing flood defences remain effective.
He said: “It’s not just about getting additional funding, it's also about how the money is spent.
“There are difficult decisions which will have to be made in the future but the alternative is failing our communities.
“The plan for the next 10 years is how we assess our assets and how we plan for what is next for the Fens and flood risk management.
“We need to work together with our partners across the Fenlands to decide what we want from this landscape.
“These assets are critical in protecting the landscape from flooding and we need to support those assets.”
But Coun Daniel McNally (Conservative), who represents the Marshchapel and Somercotes ward, said he was concerned that the government might not provide enough funding to ensure the flood defences remain effective.
He said: “I fear that in the next five to 10 years, we’re going to have to tell people which land we’re going to have to let go of to be flooded or which homes we will have to let go of.
“That will be the only thing which will make the government listen to us. I think we need to face the harsh reality that we just haven’t got the money to solve these issues.”
Mr Bailey said: “We need to make the case that we do need more money and investment into the Fens going forward.
“We do not want to lose any of this landscape. We’re fighting for more funding so that we don’t have to do that.
“We’re going to be having conversations with Cabinet ministers to try to get government support on this, but there will need to be significant changes in the way we manage things.”
The Environment Agency said the Environment Agency has spent the last two years assessing the flood risks and it will publish an action plan by March 2026.