Property Flood Resilience (PFR)

6.3

million UK properties are at risk from river, coastal and surface water flooding

months is the average time it takes to reoccupy a home after a flood

300000

commercial properties estimated to be at risk of flooding in the UK

of businesses can fail to re-open after being flooded

Property Flood Resilience (PFR) is an important aspect of flood risk management. PFR involves installing measures on a building to reduce the impact of flooding. PFR can reduce the risk of floodwater entering a property and it can also be used to minimise the damage caused by floodwater if it does enter the property.

PFR aims to help households and businesses to reduce the damage caused by floods and speed up recovery and reoccupation.

There are a range of PFR products available that can be used to help reduce the impact of flooding on a building, whether it be a home or a business premises.

PFR is split into two types: RESISTANCE and RESILIENCE:

Resistance

Measures that can be fitted to the outside of a property, forming a physical barrier between the flood water and the building. These measures aim to reduce the amount of water entering the building, thereby reducing the damage caused internally. Examples of resistance measures include:

Flood doors and barriers
Non-return valves on water outlets
Self-closing airbricks
Air vent protection

Resilience

Measures that aim to adapt the internal property fabric to limit the damage caused if water does enter the building. These measures allow the clean up and repair process to occur rapidly, enhancing recoverability. Examples of resilience measures include:

Flood resilient walls
Water resilient floors
Raised sockets
Relocating boiler

Examples of PFR

Although it is not possible to completely flood-proof a building, the images below show examples of resilience and resistance measures that can be installed throughout a home or business along with their approximate costs. We would like to thank Premier Water Solutions and MDA for supplying these images. You can enlarge each image by clicking on them.

This collection of case studies showcase some fantastic examples of where PFR adaptations have been made in varying types of residential and commercial buildings. One of the main misconceptions about PFR is that the products are noticeable. However, these case studies highlight just how contemporary and in-keeping PFR products can be.

A range of PFR measures were demonstrated at our 2019 conference within the PFR workshop. Photos of this event can be viewed above.

Helpful Tips

The National Flood Forum host the Property Protection Advisor, which is a simple tool that helps identify PFR options available for properties and provides an initial estimate of the costs. If you are considering PFR to increase your flood resilience, the Property Protection Advisor is a good place to start.

It is essential that PFR measures have been thoroughly tested to ensure that they are up to the job. Homeowners and businesses should identify BSI Kitemarked products as these have been independently tested and proved with acceptable standards around leakage rates. Advice and guidance on how to protect your home from flooding is available from a variety of sources. You can also find out information from the National Flood Advisory Service which is a free service that can provide you with independent advice on flood mitigation for properties.

South West PFR Pathfinder Project

Cornwall Community Flood Forum was delighted to have been a delivery partner in the Defra funded South West Property Flood Resilience (PFR) Pathfinder Project, which ran from 2019 – 2021. The project was set up to increase awareness of PFR across Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, with an aim to support flood risk communities, promote the new PFR framework and enhance the future uptake of PFR as a key part of flood risk management in the South West.

Click here to find out more about the project.

BeFloodReady

BeFloodReady was developed during the initial stages of the Pathfinder to create a legacy after the project finished.

Find out more about the campaign here.

As part of this initiative, a website was developed where a range of resources and information is available to support those at flood risk in the South West. Click on the button on the right to visit the website!

Visit the BeFloodReady Website here!

Please note that Cornwall Community Flood Forum does not endorse any individual product or company and take no responsibility for any issues or disputes arising as a result of their purchase or use.

New Cornwall Property Flood Resilience Scheme

Cornwall Council has run Property Flood Resilience (PFR) schemes in the past. These schemes have installed PFR to over 230 properties at flood risk across Cornwall. The Council is currently preparing a new scheme to deliver PFR to up to 68 properties over the next three years. The scheme will be jointly funded by Cornwall Council and the Environment Agency and will hopefully be live in Autumn this year. Homeowners interested in signing up can complete an expression of interest form. Properties on this list will be screened for suitability and then accepted onto the scheme if space allows.

The link to the EOI form is: Property Flood Resilience Scheme | Let’s Talk Cornwall

Useful Resources

Introducing the NEW Property Flood Resilience (PFR) Directory from from FloodMary!
The Environment Agency’s booklet on Property Flood Resilience is a handy overall guide that can be printed out and given to home owners at risk and used by volunteer wardens as a reminder.
Sandbags have been commonly used in the past and in some communities they are still felt to be useful. Fewer local authorities provide free sandbags nowadays and there can be a problem with disposing of contaminated sandbags after use. In this CCFF booklet you will find some alternative products and where you can go to buy these from.
This guide produced by MDA and Know your Flood Risk provides a detailed guide to increasing your businesses flood resilience.