Cornwall Council has recently run two projects to promote property flood resilience (PFR). Find out about each of the projects below.
South West PFR Pathfinder
Cornwall Council is one of three Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFAs) to successfully obtain funding from Defra. This funding was for a Pathfinder project to boost the uptake of Property Flood Resilience (PFR) measures. The other two are York City Council and Northamptonshire County Council.
There are five Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFAs) in the South West Regional Flood and Coastal Committee region. Cornwall Council delivered the project on behalf of all five LLFAs:
- Cornwall Council
- Devon County Council
- The Isles of Scilly Council
- Torbay District Council
- Plymouth City Council
The pathfinder created the BeFloodReady brand and ran workshops on flood risk and resilience with residents and industry, as well as climate champions workshops with businesses.
As an awareness raising tool, the project commissioned 'Missy's tale'. Missy's tale is an animated video from Aardman Animations, which illustrates flood risk and the benefits of PFR.
The project also established the South West Climate Change Centre at Heartlands in Pool. The project created two exhibits, focussed on property flood resilience and climate change. The PFR exhibit demonstrates PFR techniques and products available. The climate change exhibit has interactives on the potential impact of climate change and changes we can make to mitigate them. These exhibits are free to visit during opening hours at Heartlands. You can find out more about the South West Climate Change Centre here. The project also created a mobile roadshow - the 'FloodPod'.
We launched a project website - BeFloodReady. BeFloodReady can help you to:
- check your flood risk
- learn about how to prepare your property to recover from flooding
- learn about PFR products available
Visit the BeFloodReady websiteWe also provide PFR information through the Cornwall Community Flood Forum website.
You can find out more about the work of the Pathfinder by watching the PFR video .
As well as the LLFA's listed above, we worked with Delivery partners including:
- JBA Consulting
- University of the West of England
- Cornwall Community Flood Forum
- Devon Community Resilience Forum
- The Environment Agency
- The Eden Project
- Climate Vision
- Premier Water Solutions
- Richfords Fire and Flood
Cornwall PFR Delivery Project
As a result of the Pathfinder, we ran a PFR delivery project. With the Environment Agency, we made funding available to support properties at risk of flooding to install PFR on their homes. We helped people to:
- Carry out a risk assessment to determine how and why your property is at risk of flooding
- Conduct a survey to determine which PFR measures would work in your situation
- Provide a certified contractor to supply and fit the measures to the National Code of Practice standards
- In some circumstances, help to pay for installation.
Through this scheme we funded over 40 flood hazard surveys and supported almost 30 households to better protect their properties from flooding. We prioritised participants on need and vulnerability.
The delivery scheme has now closed. If you would be interested in future PFR delivery schemes, you can register an interest in assistance in obtaining PFR for your property. Please complete the form on Let’s Talk Cornwall.
