The issues
Our coastline is changing, sea levels are rising and climate change is bringing extreme weather conditions more often.
Nearly 400,000 people live or work on low-lying land around the Humber Estuary so it is one of the many places that will be affected by rising sea levels. And with current predictions showing sea level rise of up to 0.35 metres by 2060 and up to a metre by 2110 we need to consider long-term protection of communities and habitats in this area*
The strategy
Since 1997 we have been studying the Humber Estuary in great detail. In August 2005, we published our consultation document which gave details of the proposed Humber Flood Risk Management Strategy. After its publication we visited communities and listened to peoples' views and in 2008 launched our full strategy. The full strategy document and a summary of the strategy can be viewed on the links below.
The strategy outlines our flood risk management plan for the Humber Estuary for the next 25 years and beyond. In it we make recommendations aimed at ensuring that flood risk is managed in a sustainable way around the estuary. It looks at different ways of managing flood risk; raising defences where appropriate, but also introducing sites for managed realignment and flood storage which will help maintain valuable habitats.
It aims to ensure a good standard of protection from tidal flooding for the next 25 years and beyond for 99 per cent of residents round the estuary and the important industrial areas. However, there are difficult decisions to make. Our funds are limited, so we will not be able to improve all of the estuary's defences. The documents identify those areas that could be affected and answer some of the questions that you may ask.
Moving forward
We continue to work with communities around the Humber Estuary to help them understand their risk and to use local knowledge and experience to jointly come up with plans to manage that risk. We have started work on developing or building schemes in Stallingborough, Swinefleet, Gunness, Brough, Reedness and at Halton Marshes, and are carrying out studies of many other areas to explore the possibilities for managing their flood risk.
(* Figures from Planning Policy Statement 25 (PPS 25) a government planning guidance document.)
Strategy information
If you would like any further information, please email us at: humber.strategy@environment-agency.gov.uk
The Humber Environment in Focus 2011
This technical report brings together a wide variety of datasets to describe the state of the environment in and around the Humber Estuary as a baseline against which changes can be tracked. The aim is to produce follow up reports every two years.
If you have any comments or questions relating to the report, please email us at: humber.strategy@environment-agency.gov.uk
Beacon Lagoons habitat creation project
We have been working to create some extra habitat to compensate for some being lost at Beacon Lagoons between Easington and Kilnsea in East Yorkshire.
