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Aviva’s analysis reveals that the share of new homes built in England’s flood‑risk areas has increased significantly, with one in nine new properties constructed between 2022 and 2024 located in medium or high flood‑risk zones.

Issue

As climate change drives up flood risk and sea levels across many parts of England, an increasing number of homes are both exposed to flooding and being built in areas already known to be at risk. This is amidst the government’s commitment to build 1.5 million homes by 2029.

Approach

Using data sourced from Ordnance Survey, Aviva analysed newly homes built between 2022–2024, specifically investigating address data. This was combined with NaFRA2 data (National Flood Risk Assessment) from the Environment Agency, which looked at the latest assessment of flood risk at the constituency level.

Impact

The research shows that one in nine (11%) new homes in England constructed between 2022 and 2024 have been built in areas of medium or high risk of flooding. These newer homes are at greater risk of flooding than older housing stock as the impacts of extreme weather become more acute.

This is despite homes built since 2009 being excluded from the Flood Re reinsurance scheme which was set up in 2016 to improve the affordability and accessibility of flood insurance to properties in high-risk areas.

The data has raised national awareness of the accelerating trend of flood risk for a growing number of homes in England. This can support policymakers, developers and insurers to a growing national vulnerability.

The data can help to strengthen planning rules to prevent unprotected development in current and future flood zones, reducing the risk of new homes built in the far future.

Furthermore, the research can help better shape climate‑adapted housing policy. This includes low-cost property flood resilience measures and standardising the use of Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS) across current and future homes in England.

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