Plymouth awarded funding to develop climate adaptation plans

The University and Plymouth City Council are part of a consortium that has secured support from the Pathways2Resilience programme

Plymouth awarded funding to develop climate adaptation plans

The University and Plymouth City Council are part of a consortium that has secured support from the Pathways2Resilience programme

Mr Alan Williams

Media and Communications Manager

Corporate Communications (Marketing and Communications)

27 January 2026

Plymouth has been selected as one of just 62 regions across Europe to receive funding and specialist support to develop a comprehensive climate adaptation plan under a flagship programme of the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change.

The announcement places Plymouth among three UK regions chosen in this latest cohort, alongside Kent and Belfast, joining Greater London and Greater Manchester, who have been part of the initiative since 2023.

Launched in 2023, Pathways2Resilience (P2R) brings together 100 local and regional authorities, representing more than 100 million people, to strengthen their preparedness for increasingly severe climate impacts. The latest selected regions, representing a population of 55 million, identified their top climate risks as coastal and river flooding (43%), heat stress (36%), and drought (21%).

Plymouth’s participation is being delivered through a partnership between Plymouth City Council, the Key Cities Innovation Network, and the University of Plymouth.

The work to be carried out will build on that identified in the On the Waterfront report, a report from the Key Cities network, which advocated for a renewed policy focus on coastal communities, and the development of coherent strategies tailored to their unique needs, with the aim of fostering economic resilience, social equity, and environmental stewardship.

This is a fabulous initiative which builds on our partnership work to examine the challenges facing England’s coastal communities.

Through this new funding, we will deliver a highly integrated climate resilience strategy that tackles critical infrastructure, public health, ecosystems, and local economic systems in a joined-up way. The outputs will help Plymouth confront sea level rise, flooding, heat stress, and social vulnerability, and generate practical tools and proven methods that deliver transformative impact well beyond the south coast of England.

Professor Sheela Agarwal
Professor of Regional Economic Development and Coastal Futures, and Co-Director of the Centre for Coastal Communities

As part of the programme, Plymouth will receive €210,000 alongside tailored tools, expert guidance, mentoring, and peer learning opportunities.

Over the next 18 months, they will use financial and non‑financial support from the P2R programme to build a climate adaptation strategy that draws together a set of practical, ambitious, and transferable tools, including a coastal climate resilience strategy, a detailed action plan, and a forward‑looking investment plan.

The strategy will focus on the key systems identified by P2R as drivers of long‑term resilience:

Critical infrastructure: strengthening flood defences, transport corridors, energy networks, and the Port of Plymouth, which serves as both a regional economic engine and a national strategic asset and has received significant public investment;
Health and human wellbeing: guided by the University of Plymouth’s Centre for Health Technologies, ensuring adaptation actions protect vulnerable groups such as the elderly, low‑income households, and those in coastal communities facing multiple deprivations. The Centre also has its own digital living lab, one of the largest in the country, so adaptation can be co‑created with the local community;
Ecosystems and nature‑based solutions: incorporating green and blue infrastructure projects to reduce flood risk, improve air and water quality, and create healthier urban environments;
Local economic systems: developing sustainable industries including renewables and fisheries and integrating adaptation with the regeneration of Plymouth’s maritime economy, cultural identity, and workforce development, so climate resilience also strengthens livelihoods;
Urban planning and governance: embedding climate adaptation into planning codes, building standards, and investment criteria to ensure every future development contributes to long‑term resilience, especially in the poorest areas of the city. Each component will be designed not only to benefit Plymouth directly but also to serve as a model for other UK and European coastal cities.

Plymouth has long championed climate resilience, and joining the Pathways2Resilience programme strengthens that commitment. This initiative will help us work with partners and communities to prepare for future challenges while celebrating our unique marine heritage. Through projects like the ‘Sea for Yourself’ programme and our bid for UK City of Culture, we are ensuring that sustainability and culture go hand in hand, creating opportunities for everyone to engage with Plymouth Sound National Marine Park and the city’s vibrant coastal identity.

Councillor Tudor Evans
Leader of Plymouth City Council

This project builds directly on some of the insights and recommendations in last year’s Key Cities report, On the Waterfront, which was produced by the Key Cities Innovation Network in close collaboration with Plymouth City Council and the University of Plymouth. We look forward to sharing insights with member cities – both coastal and inland – across the network, further enriched by the experience of cities all over Europe.

Cllr John Merry CBE
Chair of Key Cities

Mr Alan Williams

Read more information linked to this article