£99 million flood defence investment to protect homes and businesses across the South East
Thousands of homes and businesses across the South East will be better protected from the devastating impacts of flooding thanks to £99 million in government investment in flood defences, the Environment Agency have announced.
The funding will support flood defence schemes across the region in 2026-27, helping protect homes and businesses across the South East from the growing threat of flooding and coastal erosion.
Projects will include Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme, which will create a new stream with a wetland wildlife corridor.
The scheme will reduce flood risk to all properties in Oxford currently at risk of flooding from the River Thames, as well as to the railway, local roads, utilities and services such as broadband.
It will also bring additional environmental benefits, including creating over 20 hectares of valuable new wetland habitat which will link up existing wildlife sites, and around 16 hectares of floodplain meadow.
Over its lifetime, the scheme will save over £1.6 billion by reducing flood damage and disruption helping shield communities from the kind of extreme weather that has battered parts of the country in recent winters.
Another scheme is The Leigh Expansion and Hildenborough Embankment Scheme. The project will help reduce flood risk to over 1,800 homes and 575 non-residential properties in Tonbridge, Hildenborough, and downstream communities.
The scheme has two aspects: increasing the capacity of the flood storage area and constructing a new embankment to protect homes in Hildenborough, helping shield communities from the kind of extreme weather that has battered parts of the country in recent winters.
The regional investment forms part of a £750 million national programme for 2026-27, which will fund more than 600 flood schemes across England, helping to protect tens of thousands of homes and businesses better.
It is part of a £1.4 billion investment in flood defences in 2026-27 in England and sits within the largest flood resilience programme in England’s history, with at least £10.5 billion being invested between 2024 and 2036 to strengthen the nation’s defences against flooding and coastal erosion.
Alongside investment in new schemes, £250 million has also been made available nationally to repair and maintain flood defences damaged by Storms Goretti and Chandra, ensuring existing protections remain strong when communities need them most.
Anna Burns, environment agency area director for Thames Area, said: “This investment allows the Environment Agency and our partners to deliver flood schemes across South of England, protecting thousands of homes and businesses from flooding.
“Working with local councils and partners, we’re delivering a wide range of projects, from traditional flood defences to natural flood management, to protect communities better now and into the future.”
Floods minister Emma Hardy said: “Flooding can turn lives upside down in a matter of hours, destroying homes, shutting down businesses and leaving communities facing months of heartbreak and recovery.
“That’s why we’re investing £99 million here in the South East as part of a record national programme to strengthen flood defences, protect families and businesses, and help communities feel safer in the face of increasingly extreme weather.
“This investment will help protect more than 8,000 properties and business across the region, while supporting jobs, growth and local resilience.”
Flooding can devastate lives and livelihoods in a matter of hours, swamping homes, shutting down businesses and leaving communities facing months or even years of recovery.
Strengthening flood defences is therefore critical not only for protecting families but also for safeguarding local economies.
Since 2024, the government has prioritised repairs and maintenance to stabilise the condition of flood assets, reversing years of decline and helping ensure defences are fit for the future.
Around 47,000 properties across England have already been better protected since 2024.
Investment in flood defences also supports thousands of skilled jobs across engineering, construction and environmental management, while helping unlock new homes and economic growth in areas made safer from flooding.
For every £1 invested in flood defences, around £8 in economic damage is avoided, saving billions of pounds in potential costs to households, businesses and the wider economy.
The Environment Agency, councils and other local Risk Management Authorities, will deliver the projects across the South East as part of the government’s long-term plan to build resilience against flooding as extreme weather becomes more frequent.