One in nine new homes in England built in areas of flood risk, study shows

One in nine new homes in England built between 2022 and 2024 were constructed in areas that could now be at risk of flooding, according to new data.The figures show the number of homes being built in risky areas is on the rise – a previous analysis showed that between 2013 and 2022, one in 13 new homes were in potential flooding zones.The research comes with the government under huge pressure to deliver new affordable housing, amid signs that the climate breakdown is accelerating.Data published by the insurer Aviva reveals that of the 396,602 new homes recorded by the Ordnance Survey in England between 2022 and 2024, 43,937 are in areas of medium or high risk of flooding, while 26% of new homes have some risk of flooding.Emma Howard Boyd, former chair of the Environment Agency, who advises Aviva on climate policy, said the government’s target to build 1.5m homes this parliament could create pressure to build in areas at high risk of flooding.She said: “We don’t want to be building today’s houses in places where they will become ever more at risk of flooding. Defra [the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs] and the Ministry for Housing need to be working close together to make sure our housing targets aren’t preventing what we know is needed to protect future and existing homes from future levels of flooding.”Aviva’s data also shows that by 2050, one in seven (15%) of the homes built between 2022 and 2024 will be at medium or high risk of flooding and almost a third (30%) will face some kind of flood risk, as more extreme rainfall is predicted as a result of climate breakdown.The government said the analysis does not factor in flood defences which are already in place, though this was disputed by Aviva, which said it does.Experts have said London’s flood defences, for example, need to be urgently updated to protect the city.The research comes after a Guardian investigation last year found that millions more homes in England, Scotland and Wales are facing devastating floods, and some towns may have to be abandoned as climate breakdown makes many areas uninsurable.That analysis revealed the extent of concern in the insurance sector as larger areas of housing and commercial property become at a greater risk.Aviva’s analysis, which draws on the new homes address data and cross-references it with the Environment Agency’s latest assessment of flood risk at constituency level, found that Greater London and Essex have the highest proportion (32%) of new at-risk properties. Lincolnshire, East Yorkshire, the west and north-west follow at 13%. The east of England has the lowest proportion of new at-risk homes at 2%.Some areas of the UK are at risk of being abandoned because of flood risk, with the occupants of a terrace in Ynysybwl, Wales, having their homes bought by the council due to constant flooding. The town of Tenbury Wells is also being slowly abandoned by its occupants as they cannot get flood insurance.People who live in new builds can find it more difficult to get flood insurance. Homes built since 2009 are excluded from the government-backed Flood Re reinsurance scheme, which insures affordability and accessibility to flood insurance for homeowners.Jason Storah, the chief executive of UK and Ireland general insurance at Aviva, said: “As our analysis shows, too many new homes have been built in higher risk areas. It’s particularly worrying that this trend has risen in recent years, just as housebuilding accelerates.“Importantly, these homes are not protected by the Flood Re scheme, which excludes homes built after 2009 to prevent more new homes being put at risk. Sadly, as the study shows, this simply hasn’t happened.”Aviva is calling for the government to strengthen planning regulations to prevent new unprotected homes being built in flood zones.Storah added: “We believe there should be a presumption against new developments in high-risk areas in the planning rules, alongside mandatory flood resilience measures in building regulations for new homes in areas at risk. This is particularly important in places where surface water flooding is prevalent, which is more difficult to predict and protect against.“In some areas, it will not be a case of if but when a home will flood.”A government spokesperson said: “These figures are misleading as the research doesn’t even factor in flood defences in place. We will build 1.5m homes without compromising on safety, and our planning proposals will ensure that development should not go ahead where it would be unsafe due to flood risk. This is alongside investing a record £10.5bn for flood projects, which will benefit nearly 900,000 properties by 2036.”The new data coincided with a call from the UK’s main insurance trade body for the government to take urgent action amid soaring flood claims and payouts to homeowners whose properties have been wrecked by rising waters.Publishing its latest data covering 2025, the Association of British Insurers said the cost of domestic flood claims rose by 38% last year to reach £312m. Meanwhile, the average flood payout to a homeowner jumped by 60%, hitting £30,000.Overall, across the year, insurers paid out £1.2bn in weather‑related property claims: a 14% (£142m) increase on 2024.Chris Bose, director of general insurance policy at the ABI, said: “Government action is essential to protect communities from the growing impact of extreme weather. This includes stronger planning rules to stop building in high‑risk flood areas and designing homes with resilience in mind.”Additional reporting by Rupert Jones