The UK government has published its response to the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) report on reducing the risks of surface water flooding, published in November 2023.
The press release from the NIC states that although the government has accepted the principles behind some of the recommendations made by the commission, it has failed to make new commitments to manage surface water risk proactively. This is critical as the NIC Report has identified that extreme weather and expanding development could potentially increase the number of properties in England exposed to high-risk areas from 325,000 to over 600,000 by 2055 if no action is taken. The NIC concludes that the government’s plan of action is insufficient to meet the challenge’s scale and lacks the necessary urgency to address the threat.