ABI advocates kitemark for floodplain homes
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) is recommending the creation of a kitemark for housing developments planned on floodplains.
The voluntary code would indicate the flood resilience level of homes by setting minimum construction standards, such as the use of water-resistant building materials.
Stephen Haddrill, the ABI’s director general, explains: “We need new homes, but the UK Government’s plans to build three million homes by 2020 are in jeopardy unless we make them more resistant to flooding. A new standard and kitemark for new housing developments would benefit consumers, developers and insurers.”
He believes the standard would increase consumer confidence in a property’s ability to withstand a flood and that developers could use it to promote their houses.
The ABI is also working to help small businesses plan for major emergencies, such as flooding.
Last week, the association launched joint campaign with the Government to raise the level of contingency planning among the 4.3 million small to medium-sized businesses in the UK.
Research in the field suggests that over two thirds of SMEs have no contingency plans to deal with an emergency and seven out of 10 would go out of business if they experienced an event during their first year of trading.
Category: ABI News, Insurance News
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