Floods are leaving homes unsellable in Britain, a grim reality facing more and more people. For Christine, a 70-year-old great-grandmother, her bungalow in Trowell, Nottinghamshire, is a constant worry. The brook that backs onto her home burst its banks in 2020, pouring water into her house and those of her neighbors Jackie and Rhona. Despite being "flood-resilient" after receiving flood-proofing measures, their homes flooded again just eight months later.
The problem lies with the planning rules, which fail to prevent new building developments from increasing flood risks. Developments are assessed one at a time and often done in phases, making it difficult to gauge the overall impact on communities. As Christine, Jackie, and Rhona can attest, this results in increased runoff into waterways like their own brook.
The issue is more widespread than they experience alone. A study by Bayes Business School found that homes at risk of flooding are sold for between 8% and 32% lower than average properties. Even when buyers do manage to find sellers willing to part with their homes, some lenders refuse to provide mortgages due to the increased flood-risk element.
The government has stepped in to cover the flood-risk aspect of home insurance until 2039, but this means mortgage lenders will still avoid funding homes that could lose value if repossession occurs. The problem is further exacerbated by climate breakdown, which is increasing extreme weather events and causing more properties to be at risk of flooding. As many as 100,000 new homes could be built on the highest-risk flood zones in England.
Christine, Jackie, and Rhona are among millions of people facing this very real threat. Their homes are now unsellable due to repeated flooding, a reality that will only worsen unless drastic action is taken to address these planning loopholes and increase funding for flood management.
The problem lies with the planning rules, which fail to prevent new building developments from increasing flood risks. Developments are assessed one at a time and often done in phases, making it difficult to gauge the overall impact on communities. As Christine, Jackie, and Rhona can attest, this results in increased runoff into waterways like their own brook.
The issue is more widespread than they experience alone. A study by Bayes Business School found that homes at risk of flooding are sold for between 8% and 32% lower than average properties. Even when buyers do manage to find sellers willing to part with their homes, some lenders refuse to provide mortgages due to the increased flood-risk element.
The government has stepped in to cover the flood-risk aspect of home insurance until 2039, but this means mortgage lenders will still avoid funding homes that could lose value if repossession occurs. The problem is further exacerbated by climate breakdown, which is increasing extreme weather events and causing more properties to be at risk of flooding. As many as 100,000 new homes could be built on the highest-risk flood zones in England.
Christine, Jackie, and Rhona are among millions of people facing this very real threat. Their homes are now unsellable due to repeated flooding, a reality that will only worsen unless drastic action is taken to address these planning loopholes and increase funding for flood management.
I'm so worried about Christine, Jackie, and Rhona's situation. It sounds like they're caught in this never-ending cycle of floods, and it's not just them - there are millions more people facing the same issue 
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That's so short-sighted. And now climate change is making it even worse, which is like, totally fair 
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. Maybe they could increase funding for flood management, or rethink their planning rules to prevent more homes from being built on high-risk areas 
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It makes no sense financially! And what about Christine and her family - where are they gonna go if their bungalow is still flooded after 2039? 
. We can't just keep waiting for the government to fix it (although, fingers crossed they will 
). The people affected by floods deserve better 
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this is just crazy. I mean think about it, if you buy a home in a flood zone, you're basically buying a ticking time bomb... 
100k new homes on the highest risk zones? that's insane! 
the gov's just covering part of it but it's not enough. we need to think bigger here... 
I'm really worried about Christine, Jackie, and Rhona's situation... 100k new homes on high-risk flood zones? That's just crazy! 
The planning rules need a major overhaul, it's not fair to people who are already struggling with flooding. And climate breakdown is making things worse, it's like the government is saying "oh well, that's just how it goes". But it doesn't have to be this way... We need some serious policy changes and more funding for flood management ASAP! 
Can't believe the planning rules in Britain are still so broken! Floods leaving homes unsellable is such a harsh reality, especially for folks like Christine who thought their bungalow was safe. And what's with these phases of development? It's like they're trying to ignore the bigger picture and just build away. Newsflash: it's not that hard to do an overall assessment! 
I mean, 8 months after flood-proofing measures, her home flooded again? That's just crazy! And now she's stuck with a house that's basically worthless because of climate change-induced flooding. It's like the system is failing these people, and it needs some serious reform ASAP 
. Christine, Jackie, Rhona - I feel you guys, this is so not fair 
and it's all cuz of our planning rules & climate breakdown 
so let's raise awareness & demand change 
we can make a difference, one flood at a time 
I'm totally with Christine, Jackie, and Rhona on this one 
. The planning rules need a major overhaul, like, pronto! 
️ We can't keep messing around with this climate breakdown stuff... it's only gonna get worse if we don't start taking action ASAP 
. These 100,000 new homes on high-risk zones are just gonna make things worse... it's time to think about the future, not just short-term gains 
. It's not just them either, there are millions of people facing this problem 
. And to make matters worse, climate change is making things even more extreme 
. We need to do something about it now 
!
Christine, Jackie, Rhona... poor ladies! They've already experienced this horror show twice and they're still stuck. And it's not like they were expecting a disaster movie scenario or anything. It's just common sense to prevent development in areas prone to flooding, but noooo... the planning rules are too lax 
We really need to do better here...