Flood & Coast is an annual three-day event that attracts exhibitors, speakers and visitors from around the world to advance the debate about the impacts of climate change on flood and coastal erosion risk management (FCERM).

Produced by the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) in partnership with the Environment Agency, the event brings together professionals across the FCERM community to drive innovative ways of working with the communities most affected by flooding and coastal erosion in today’s changing climate.

Key session topics included a progress update on the UK government’s goal to create a nation more resilient to future flood and coastal erosion risks; Excellence in climate adaptation and environmental sustainability; Delivering the FCERM strategy – Road map to 2026; Understanding natural flood management following COP26; and The next generation of FCERM professionals and aspirations for COP27 in Egypt.

Capita Binnies, joint venture partners on the Environment Agency Client Support Framework (CSF), spent three days at Flood & Coast, where they sponsored and promoted the Flood & Coast Excellence Awards dinner, CIWEM’s “Planet Possible” podcast and the Women in Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management networking event and first ever exhibition stand. Capita Binnies also hosted a round-table event to discuss ideas and promote collaboration on the Severn Valley Water Management Scheme, which crosses the border between England and Wales, involving different policies and legislative requirements.

There was tangible excitement in the exhibition hall, with colleagues and counterparts back together face to face for the first time in three years.

Collaboration

Capita Binnies hosted a round-table discussion on the Severn Valley Water Management Scheme, discussing “A Catchment-based Approach to Flood Risk in the Severn Valley”. A facilitated discussion with groups of stakeholders, expertly chaired by Paul Cobbing, opened up conversations and inspired ideas and innovative approaches around collaborative working and possible status mechanisms that could be explored to help drive delivery with multiple partners and different legislation.

“Planet Possible”, an environmental podcast produced by CIWEM, was held live from the event for a special one-off episode as part of the current series sponsored by Binnies. High-profile guests and panellists, including Hannah Coogan, CIWEM trustee and Binnies Regional Delivery Director for the Midlands, offered their views and reflected on the key discussion points from the conference. This podcast was great way to share the key messages from the conference with a wider audience that will be impacted by the effects of our changing climate, including flooding and coastal erosion.

Capita Binnies was honoured to host the Public Utilities Board of Singapore (PUB) during its visit to the UK, hosting a site visit to the Jubilee River before the event with Jeanne Capey and David Bedlington from the Environment Agency. PUB visited the Flood & Coast conference as part of its engagement with the proposed River Thames Scheme, spending time learning about our innovations and best practice on this and other schemes, such as effective collaboration with multiple stakeholders, carbon reduction, biodiversity net gain and placemaking to deliver amenity value for current and future generations.

Sustainability

The theme for day one was “Acting strategically to meet the scale of the challenge ahead”. Our speakers used the knowledge and understanding of Capita Binnies to address these issues at a strategic level. Hannah Coogan took part in “Delivering the FCERM strategy – Road map to 2026”, discussing the strategic actions that are being taken to meet the climate challenge. Hannah’s expert opinion was broadcast by Sky News as part of its Daily Climate Show.

In the following session, Kevin Simpson, Binnies Flooding, Coastal and Maritime Director, was on the panel exploring the concept that “delivering natural flood management (NFM) requires a detailed understanding of local, natural and social contexts, whilst understanding pressing global drivers and rapidly developing international experience”. Nature-based solutions give us an opportunity to use low carbon approaches that not only provide biodiversity net gain but very often deliver wider social value by enhancing local amenity.

This session explored themes that were first developed at the Binnies COP26 round-table event “Delivering nature-based solutions – cross sector perspectives to enable a truly integrated sustainable approach”. After the session, Kevin said, “It was thrilling to share a panel with other like-minded professionals involved in promoting nature-based and catchment-wide solutions – and you could tell from the probing questions how eager colleagues from across the FCERM community are to embrace it.”

Diversity

“Breaking the bias” was the topic for the Women in FCERM (WiFCERM) networking event, in which perspectives were heard from a variety of professionals across the sector. This prompted an engaged discussion around a packed room about what is needed in the sector to #breakthebias and how WiFCERM can support this. People openly contributed their thoughts and experiences, with feedback that it was valuable to listen and understand the challenges women still face in order to bring about change. Wendy Brooks, chairperson of WiFCERM, commented, “Women in FCERM at Flood & Coast 2022 was amazing, thanks to the support and sponsorship of Capita Binnies. Our networking event was standing-room-only and was still being talked about for the following two days. A first for us at conference was our stand, which wouldn’t have been possible without Capita Binnies, and we attracted a steady stream of people seeking our help, advice and support over the three days.”

Project excellence

The Flood & Coast Excellence Awards celebrate excellence in project delivery and individual contributions in the FCERM sector. Capita Binnies is proud to have sponsored the awards dinner for the second year, which highlights the joint venture’s commitment to supporting innovation and continuous improvement in the sector. In front of a packed room, Angela Mulgrew, Director at Capita Real Estate and Infrastructure, opened proceedings. “Flood and Coast brought together the community of practitioners with the skills to move us to a nation resilient to climate change and provided a forum to share experiences internationally,” said Terry Fuller, Chief Executive of CIWEM. “Most importantly, it was a call to action and built a wave of enthusiasm exemplified by the amazing Excellence Awards dinner. The support from Capita Binnies was hugely important in enabling this, including contributions by their employees to the discussions and showcasing the great work they are doing.”

About Binnies

At Binnies, we create new possibilities for humanity through our innovative approach to delivery. Backed by a culture that has stayed true since the company’s founding over 100 years ago, Binnies develops intelligent water and environmental solutions using a whole-life-cycle approach to deliver functional infrastructure and lasting environmental and social legacies. We strive to elevate the quality of life for our local communities today and for generations to come.

Binnies is an RSK group company and was formerly part of Black & Veatch.

Connect with us on LinkedIn and Instagram to join us on our journey to a better tomorrow.

About the RSK group (RSK)

RSK is a leading integrated environmental, engineering and technical services group made up of over 100 businesses. The group is headquartered in the United Kingdom and has an established presence in more than 40 countries around the world.

For over 30 years, RSK has been helping organisations realise their business goals efficiently, cost-effectively and with the minimum environmental and social impact. We deliver practical solutions to some of the greatest challenges of our time. As a client-focused business, our services are constantly evolving to directly respond to or pre-empt global conditions and legislative drivers.

Visit www.rskgroup.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook as we continue to forge a stronger future together.

Media contacts 

Binnies UK  

Angela Collins Tel: +44 (0)1737 856399 | Mobile: +44 (0)7391 639733 | Email:collinsa@binnies.com