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Key Documents

Summary of research and tools

Project learning

Summary

This research project aimed to explore how authorities can work with communities on future planning and decision-making to help reduce flood and coastal erosion risk in the face of climate change.

This will be of interest to anyone who wants to know more about ways in which authorities, communities and partners can exchange views, build understanding and plan together. The tools and learning will be particularly useful for engagement staff in risk management authorities.

Background

This research is a response to concerns about the impacts of climate change and the likelihood of significantly higher levels of risk to communities due to increased flooding or coastal erosion.

Approach

The research project included 3 phases:

1. a review of evidence on community engagement on climate adaptation to inform:

2. designing and implementing an innovative community engagement programme in 2 pilot locations:
   • Caterham on the Hill and Old Coulsdon, Surrey and London Borough of Croydon (surface water flooding)鈥�
   • Hemsby, Norfolk (coastal erosion and storm surges)
3. bringing together, reflecting on and documenting learning and practice

Findings

Overarching findings are presented in the project learning report, which builds on learning from the initial evidence review. They are grouped under 6 鈥榚ngagement challenges鈥�:

1. readiness: the knowledge, skills and capacities needed to enable collaborative FCERM decision-making;

2. framing, language and communication: the way people and organisations talk about things, which influences how others understand issues;

3. climate change, emotions and mental health: the fears and anxieties which shape people鈥檚 engagement with adaptation planning;

4. place attachment, culture and identity: emotional connections to places which affect how people think about the future of those places.

5. power, politics and conflict: recognising that engagement and adaptation processes are inherently political and open to contention;
6. scale: people and organisations work at different geographic and time scales, which can create tensions over different priorities.

An important overall theme is the value of stakeholders working collaboratively, which was integral to the project.

Engagement tools were created and trialled to address some of these challenges. The readiness assessment tool is designed to assess how prepared individuals, authorities, partnerships and communities are to engage on climate adaptation. The simulation is a participatory tool to help increase understanding of and planning for flood risk and climate adaptation among stakeholders. The scenario development exercise is designed to bring stakeholders together to anticipate possible futures and plan engagement.

The findings are already being used in the:

• Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy for England

• Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Capital Investment Programme.

Webinar

The project team held a webinar about the project and its outputs on 7 February 2023.

Supporting documents

Evidence review

The evidence review was published in 2019 and informed the project鈥檚 pilot work.

A paper on place attachment was commissioned separately. It builds on evidence review themes.

Record of engagement

Readiness assessment

Another version of the readiness assessment was developed under a separate commission to be used in large complex work programmes and partnerships. The readiness self-assessment advisor鈥檚 handbook is a user guide for facilitators of the process.

Scenario development

Running a simulation exercise

Supplementary materials for running a simulation

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of the documents in a more accessible format, please email: [email protected]. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Project manager: Kate Kipling, Flood and Coastal Risk Management Research team

This project was commissioned by the Environment Agency鈥檚 FCRM Directorate, as part of the joint Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Research and Development Programme.