Lord Bishop of Newcastle

The Government is investing £5.6 billion between 2021 and 2027 to better protect communities across England from flooding and coastal erosion. This investment includes a record £5.2 billion capital investment programme, as well as the £200 million Flood and Coastal Innovation Programme (FCIP).

Schemes are valued and prioritised using the Government’s Partnership Funding policy, with the amount of funding a scheme can attract dependent on the damages it will avoid and the benefits it will deliver. The impact on heritage assets and churchyards are included as part of this calculation.

In areas where a heritage asset is assessed to be invaluable, only schemes protecting the asset can be shortlisted.

The Third National Adaptation Programme details how Government and its agencies plan to protect cultural heritage from a changing climate, including implications for our coastal heritage due to flooding and coastal erosion.

Guidance on managing the impacts of coastal erosion on heritage features can be found on Historic England's website, alongside details of available grants for heritage.

The Government is investing £5.6 billion between 2021 and 2027 to better protect communities across England from flooding and coastal erosion. This investment includes a record £5.2 billion capital investment programme, as well as the £200 million Flood and Coastal Innovation Programme (FCIP).

Schemes are valued and prioritised using the Government’s Partnership Funding policy, with the amount of funding a scheme can attract dependent on the damages it will avoid and the benefits it will deliver. The impact on heritage assets and churchyards are included as part of this calculation.

In areas where a heritage asset is assessed to be invaluable, only schemes protecting the asset can be shortlisted.

The Third National Adaptation Programme details how Government and its agencies plan to protect cultural heritage from a changing climate, including implications for our coastal heritage due to flooding and coastal erosion.

Guidance on managing the impacts of coastal erosion on heritage features can be found on Historic England's website, alongside details of available grants for heritage.

The coastal erosion risk, and long term policy for management of the Northumberland Coast is outlined in the Scottish Border to River Tyne Shoreline Management Plan 2009 (SMP): North East Coastal Observatory (see attached). The SMP considers risks associated with coastal processes and outlines management policies to reduce risks to people and the developed, historic, and natural environment.

As part of the Scottish Border to River Tyne SMP (2009), a comprehensive assessment was undertaken to understand the characteristics of the natural and built environment of the Northumberland Coast. This assessment included evaluating the effects of coastal erosion on heritage, cultural heritage, and the historic environment (including churches and graveyards) to help ensure all relevant considerations were made when developing policies to manage coastal erosion.

As the relevant Coastal Protection Authority (CPA) in this location, Northumberland County Council (NCC) is eligible to bid for capital FCRM Grant in Aid for projects that mitigate the effects of coastal erosion. There are around 18 coastal projects with funding on the current 6-year capital programme within the Newcastle Diocese. These schemes have been allocated over £3.7million of FCRM Grant in Aid funding. Schemes can only progress after business cases for each scheme are produced and approved.

As part of the recent Natural Flood Management Announcements (40 projects to benefit from £25 million funding for natural flood management - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)) (see attached) a scheme was approved within the Northumberland Coast, at Alnmouth. NCC's project will maintain and enhance existing saltmarsh and dune systems in the Aln Estuary.

I am delighted that the Roads Minister announced at the Tyne Bridge last Friday, 2 February, that the Full Business Case (FBC) for the Tyne Bridge and Central Motorway A167(M) Major Road Network scheme has been approved.

The Department has agreed to provide an initial funding contribution of £35.2m towards an estimated total scheme cost of £41.4m. Following the Prime Minister’s announcement on Network North last autumn, our commitment to schemes in the Major Road Network programme has increased from 85% of cost, as estimated at the Outline Business Case stage, to up to 100%. We will announce shortly how individual schemes, including the Tyne Bridge, will benefit from this additional funding.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) sets out that local authorities should assess the size, type and tenure of housing needed for different groups in the community, including older people and people with disabilities, and reflect this in their local plan. As planning is a local responsibility, proportionate data about local housing needs and provision is not held centrally, although the English Housing Survey collects data on accessibility and adaptations within the home; the most recent adaptations report is published online.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) sets out that local authorities should assess the size, type and tenure of housing needed for different groups in the community, including older people and people with disabilities, and reflect this in their local plan. As planning is a local responsibility, proportionate data about local housing needs and provision is not held centrally, although the English Housing Survey collects data on accessibility and adaptations within the home; the most recent adaptations report is published online.