West Yorkshire Adaptation Pathway Pilot

Introduction to Adaptation Pathways

National Adaptation Pathways Programme (2021-2027)

Looking ahead to 2100, the Environment Agency is developing new ways to work with partners to adapt to climate change and plan long term investment in flood risk management. A key part of this approach is the £8m National Adaptation Pathways Programme (2021–2027). Yorkshire is one of the programme's four pilot areas, alongside Humber, Thames and Severn, and has been split into two project areas:

  • South Yorkshire – a river catchment-scale project, working closely with the South Yorkshire Connected by Water alliance.
  • West Yorkshire – focused on a community-scale study area and dealing with surface water flood risk adaptation in Garforth, Leeds.

Together, these pilots are testing how adaptation pathways can operate at different geographic scales and in different delivery and decision-making contexts.

What are adaptation pathways?

Adaptation pathways were first developed in the Netherlands in the late 2000s and early 2010s, primarily through work led by Deltarres, TU Delft, and Utrecht University. They are a long term planning approach that helps organisations make decisions today while remaining flexible under future climate uncertainty.

They map out a sequence of actions over time, showing:

  • What can be done now
  • What options may be needed later
  • When a change in approach is required as risks increase or conditions change, known as a 'tipping point'

To find out more about the National Adaptation Pathway Programme and for links to resources for risk management authorities, visit: Adaptation Pathways Programme | Engage Environment Agency


Garforth Future Flood Risk Community Workshop and Forum

How can we get ready for more rain?

Extreme weather is happening more often, and the warning signs of climate change are clear. Warmer temperatures are already leading to more intense rainfall—and sadly, more devastating floods. Garforth, a town in Leeds, has already experienced the impacts first hand—homes, businesses and roads have all been affected by surface water flooding.

That’s why the Environment Agency and Leeds City Council invited Garforth residents and businesses to take part in the Garforth Future Flood Risk Workshop and Forum.

The Garforth Future Flood Risk Community Workshop

The Garforth community and local businesses were invited to attend a workshop held on a Saturday morning in January 2026. The participants were asked to consider the long-term vison and set of values for Garforth to shape how the town could prepare for future surface water flood risk and become stronger, safer and more resilient.

The Garforth Future Flood Risk Forum

To build on the ideas generated during the community workshop and help test a community-scale adaptation pathway planning approach to managing surface water flood risk, a group of local people was recruited to join the Garforth Future Flood Risk Forum.

Forum members, supported by experts from the Environment Agency, Leeds City Council, Yorkshire Water and engineering company Arup, met on four occasions between February and June 2026. Through a series of facilitated workshops, they developed and tested protype community-scale adaptation pathways for Garforth's potential future surface water flood risk. This involved exploring a range of plausible future scenarios, identifying and prioritising potential actions, developing alternative pathways based on different levels of investment, and stress-testing these pathways against a range of future conditions and uncertainties.

What is happening next?

In the last months of the project, which finishes in March 2027, two workshops will be held with partners from Leeds City Council, Yorkshire Water and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority. Forum members will also attend these sessions which will focus on potential future governance and monitoring arrangements.

In addition, Forum members and members of the Environment Agency project team will have a table at the ‘People’s Emergency Briefing’ event in Garforth on 26 September, where they will share the findings and their experiences of the Future Flood Risk Forum with the wider community. This is a valuable opportunity to highlight the Forum’s work to a wider audience, raise awareness of future flood risk, and demonstrate how community members can play an active role in long term planning for climate change and strengthening local resilience. The event will also help us understand the level of interest in a future public event in the town to showcase the work of the Flood Forum in more detail.

If you have any questions about the Future Flood Risk Community Workshop and Forum, please email: YorkshireAP@environment-agency.gov.uk



Introduction to Adaptation Pathways

National Adaptation Pathways Programme (2021-2027)

Looking ahead to 2100, the Environment Agency is developing new ways to work with partners to adapt to climate change and plan long term investment in flood risk management. A key part of this approach is the £8m National Adaptation Pathways Programme (2021–2027). Yorkshire is one of the programme's four pilot areas, alongside Humber, Thames and Severn, and has been split into two project areas:

  • South Yorkshire – a river catchment-scale project, working closely with the South Yorkshire Connected by Water alliance.
  • West Yorkshire – focused on a community-scale study area and dealing with surface water flood risk adaptation in Garforth, Leeds.

Together, these pilots are testing how adaptation pathways can operate at different geographic scales and in different delivery and decision-making contexts.

What are adaptation pathways?

Adaptation pathways were first developed in the Netherlands in the late 2000s and early 2010s, primarily through work led by Deltarres, TU Delft, and Utrecht University. They are a long term planning approach that helps organisations make decisions today while remaining flexible under future climate uncertainty.

They map out a sequence of actions over time, showing:

  • What can be done now
  • What options may be needed later
  • When a change in approach is required as risks increase or conditions change, known as a 'tipping point'

To find out more about the National Adaptation Pathway Programme and for links to resources for risk management authorities, visit: Adaptation Pathways Programme | Engage Environment Agency


Garforth Future Flood Risk Community Workshop and Forum

How can we get ready for more rain?

Extreme weather is happening more often, and the warning signs of climate change are clear. Warmer temperatures are already leading to more intense rainfall—and sadly, more devastating floods. Garforth, a town in Leeds, has already experienced the impacts first hand—homes, businesses and roads have all been affected by surface water flooding.

That’s why the Environment Agency and Leeds City Council invited Garforth residents and businesses to take part in the Garforth Future Flood Risk Workshop and Forum.

The Garforth Future Flood Risk Community Workshop

The Garforth community and local businesses were invited to attend a workshop held on a Saturday morning in January 2026. The participants were asked to consider the long-term vison and set of values for Garforth to shape how the town could prepare for future surface water flood risk and become stronger, safer and more resilient.

The Garforth Future Flood Risk Forum

To build on the ideas generated during the community workshop and help test a community-scale adaptation pathway planning approach to managing surface water flood risk, a group of local people was recruited to join the Garforth Future Flood Risk Forum.

Forum members, supported by experts from the Environment Agency, Leeds City Council, Yorkshire Water and engineering company Arup, met on four occasions between February and June 2026. Through a series of facilitated workshops, they developed and tested protype community-scale adaptation pathways for Garforth's potential future surface water flood risk. This involved exploring a range of plausible future scenarios, identifying and prioritising potential actions, developing alternative pathways based on different levels of investment, and stress-testing these pathways against a range of future conditions and uncertainties.

What is happening next?

In the last months of the project, which finishes in March 2027, two workshops will be held with partners from Leeds City Council, Yorkshire Water and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority. Forum members will also attend these sessions which will focus on potential future governance and monitoring arrangements.

In addition, Forum members and members of the Environment Agency project team will have a table at the ‘People’s Emergency Briefing’ event in Garforth on 26 September, where they will share the findings and their experiences of the Future Flood Risk Forum with the wider community. This is a valuable opportunity to highlight the Forum’s work to a wider audience, raise awareness of future flood risk, and demonstrate how community members can play an active role in long term planning for climate change and strengthening local resilience. The event will also help us understand the level of interest in a future public event in the town to showcase the work of the Flood Forum in more detail.

If you have any questions about the Future Flood Risk Community Workshop and Forum, please email: YorkshireAP@environment-agency.gov.uk



Page last updated: 26 Sep 2026, 10:01 AM