Households and high streets in Preston, Rochdale, Kendal and Derby have been earmarked for new or upgraded flood protection as the Environment Agency confirmed a £1.4bn programme for 2026/27. Announced on Tuesday 17 March 2026, the plan brings more than 600 schemes into delivery this year, with several flagships in the North West and the East Midlands.

According to the Environment Agency, this sits inside the largest flood defence programme in English history, with at least £10.5bn planned between 2024 and 2036 to protect homes, businesses and critical infrastructure. Officials say every £1 spent avoids around £8 in damage, with this year’s investment alone expected to shield the economy from more than £10bn in losses.

Lancashire sees firm allocations. The Preston and South Ribble Flood Risk Management Scheme is assigned £15.2m and, once complete, is expected to safeguard around 5,000 homes. Along the Fylde coast, Bispham Coast Protection is marked at £14.6m and Blackpool Beach Nourishment at £17.69m to keep pace with erosion and rising seas.

In Greater Manchester, the River Roch – Rochdale and Littleborough scheme is listed at £16.674m for 2026/27, part of a sustained push to cut flood risk across the upper Roch. The Agency says work this year will continue strengthening defences for homes and businesses that have endured repeated winter flooding.

In Cumbria, Kendal’s flood risk management project receives £24.331m. For residents and traders along the Kent, further funding points to ongoing construction through the town and surrounding reaches after years of disruption from high flows and saturated ground.

Further south, Derby’s second phase of the Our City Our River programme is allocated £37.146m. The council-led scheme is designed to lower risk to around 1,500 homes and 700 businesses on the Derwent, while protecting key sites including Rolls‑Royce Nuclear, according to the government’s summary.

Beyond new build projects, £260m is set aside to repair and maintain existing Environment Agency assets in 2026/27 after recent winter storms. Ministers say this marks “a decisive break” from 14 years of declining asset condition that left too many communities exposed, with maintenance moved up the priority list.

Nature will have a bigger role alongside concrete and steel. The Agency highlights tree planting, re‑naturalised river sections and saltmarsh restoration. In Lancashire, Ribble Rivers Trust is working with landowners on leaky barriers and floodplain wetlands to slow flows into Clitheroe while boosting habitats.

Floods Minister Emma Hardy framed the funding as backing families and local economies when water starts to rise. “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,” she said.

Caroline Douglass, the Environment Agency’s Executive Director for Flood and Coastal Risk Management, said delivery will be done with councils and partners. “In partnership with local authorities, homes and businesses will benefit from stronger defences with more than 600 schemes being delivered across England,” she noted.

Government figures show £2.65bn has gone into flood defences since 2024, with a further £4.2bn due over the next three years to build new schemes and keep older ones in service. Over the next decade, a record £7.9bn in capital spending is expected to benefit around 840,000 properties nationwide.

The announcement follows the sixth Flood Resilience Taskforce meeting in Manchester, which has overseen training for more than 1,500 emergency responders and an upgraded surface water forecasting service since launching in September 2024. For communities across the North, the test now is delivery on the ground before the next storm season.