Flood defences
At the launch of Future flood prevention, a report calling for changes to flood management in England to tackle the rising threat posed by climate change, Neil Parish, Conservative MP for Tiverton and Honiton, said, "Some five million people in England are at risk of flooding. Winter 2015-16 broke rainfall records. Storms Desmond, Eva and Frank disrupted communities across northern parts of the UK, with Desmond alone costing the UK more than £5 billion.
Flood defences are used to prevent or control the potential negative effects of flood waters. Traditional methods of flood defence, such as the planting of vegetation to retain water and constructing channels (floodways), have been used throughout history. More modern flood defences can include:
- Dams.
- Diversion canals.
- Floodplains and groundwater replenishment.
- River defences, e.g. levees, bunds, reservoirs, weirs, and so on.
- Coastal defences, e.g. groynes, sea walls, revetments, gabions, and so on.
- Retention ponds.
- Moveable gates and barriers.
Temporary flood defences are systems that can be brought to specific problem sites to provide flood defence as required. They can then be removed until needed again, either at the same or a different location. They have no fixed foundation other than the ground on which they are based with perhaps minor pre-prepared modifications to ensure proper stability or performance of the equipment.
They might include:
Temporary barriers generally do provide the same level of protection as permanent defences and typically have failure rates of 20-30%, although this can be reduced by good advanced planning.
For more information see: Temporary flood defences.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
Featured articles and news
Skills gap and investment returns on apprenticeships
ECA welcomes new reports from JTL Training and The Electrotechnical Skills Partnership.
Committee report criticises UK retrofit schemes
CIOB responds to UK’s Energy Security and Net Zero Committee report.
Design and construction industry podcasts
Professional development, practice, the pandemic, platforms and podcasts. Have we missed anything?
C20 Society; Buildings at Risk List 2025
10 more buildings published with updates on the past decade of buildings featured.
Boiler Upgrade Scheme and certifications consultation
Summary of government consultation, closing 11 June 2025.
Deputy editor of AT, Tim Fraser, discusses the newly formed society with its current chair, Chris Halligan MCIAT.
Barratt Lo-E passivhaus standard homes planned enmasse
With an initial 728 Lo-E homes across two sites and many more planned for the future.
Government urged to uphold Warm Homes commitment
ECA and industry bodies write to Government concerning its 13.2 billion Warm Homes manifesto commitment.
From project managers to rising stars, sustainability pioneers and more.
Places of Worship in Britain and Ireland, 1929-1990. Book review.
The emancipation of women in art.
Call for independent National Grenfell oversight mechanism
MHCLG share findings of Building Safety Inquiry in letter to Secretary of State and Minister for Building Safety.
The Architectural Technology Awards
AT Awards now open for this the sixth decade of CIAT.
50th Golden anniversary ECA Edmundson awards
Deadline for submissions Friday 30 May 2025.
The benefits of precast, off-site foundation systems
Top ten benefits of this notable innovation.
Encouraging individuals to take action saving water at home, work, and in their communities.
Takes a community to support mental health and wellbeing
The why of becoming a Mental Health Instructor explained.
Comments