The Isle of Wight is set to benefit from more than £2.3 million in new and upgraded flood defences as part of the government’s £830 million national investment in flood schemes for 2026/27, the Environment Agency announced yesterday (Tuesday 17th March).
This funding forms part of a record £10.5 billion flood resilience programme running between 2024 and 2036, the largest in England’s history.
Investment Across the Island
More than 600 schemes will receive funding across England next year, improving protection for around 29,000 homes and businesses.
On the Isle of Wight, three projects will be supported:
- One Property Flood Resilience (PFR) scheme, enhancing protections for homes vulnerable to repeated flooding
- Two capital maintenance projects, ensuring essential flood infrastructure on the Island remains safe, effective and ready to withstand increasingly severe weather
Over £100,000 of the local funding will be allocated directly to improving property-level flood resilience in Isle of Wight West, helping communities better withstand the intense rainfall and storm events experienced in recent years.
Quigley: Really pleased the government has listened to the concerns I’ve raised
Isle of Wight West Labour MP Richard Quigley welcomed the investment,
“Time and time again our community has been let down by inadequate flooding provision, and it has real consequences for families and small businesses.
“£2.3 million for the Island is not a small amount, and I’m really pleased the government has listened to the concerns I’ve raised and taken action.
“This funding will make a meaningful difference to communities across the Isle of Wight.”
Hardy: Protect and strengthen
Floods Minister Emma Hardy said,
“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.
“This £1.4 billion investment will help protect tens of thousands of homes and businesses across the country and strengthen the defences families rely on when the worst happens.
“We’ve already stepped in to stabilise our flood assets after years of decline and this funding goes further, creating thousands of jobs, protecting communities from billions of pounds of damage, and unlocking new homes and businesses in places made safer from flooding.”
News shared by the office of Richard Quigley MP. Ed
