Managing the risk of flooding

Royal Borough: Consultation launched for communities

A consultation will soon launch on how to protect Royal Borough communities from flooding, the Environment Agency (EA) told a council meeting this week.

The ‘Flood Risk Management Plan’ will be consulted on from Friday, October 22 and will seek people’s views on how the agency should implement flood defence schemes.

The EA will work with the Royal Borough council and other local authorities in the area to run the consultation, with some regions within the borough said to be at ‘significant risk’ of flooding.

Councillors heard from the EA’s Brianne Vally at a flood liaison meeting on Wednesday night, who explained how the survey would be run when it launches next week.

She urged parish councils, community groups and others concerned about flood risk to get involved in the exercise.

“More areas at significant risk of flooding have been identified, and it is no surprise that a few of these areas fall within the Royal Borough,” Ms Vally said.

“The plan is a joint plan with the leading local authorities which outlines what our principles for dealing with flood risk management are over the next six years, from 2021 to 2027.

“Datchet and Wraysbury are two flood risk areas that have been identified as at risk of flooding from rivers.

“This is by no means the final product. We will work together to refine options and will circulate more detail when the consultation is launched.”

Ms Vally also told Wednesday’s meeting how much the recent repair works to two weirs had cost the EA, after being questioned on this by Cllr Ewan Larcombe, who represents the National Flood Prevention Party for Datchet, Horton and Wraysbury.

It emerged that works to repair both the Black Potts Weir near Datchet and the Manor Farm Weir near Eton Wick had cost the agency just under £7.5million.

Ms Vally said: “This is comparable [with] any other works that we have had to undertake on our stretches in the River Thames.”

The meeting later heard from Denise Kinsella, of Thames Water, who told members that the firm is planning to increase its fleet size by 20 per cent.

This will be across ‘various ranges of vehicle’, from initial vans which visit a job to larger pieces of equipment such as tankers.

Denise said: “That is an ongoing programme which will give us greater resilience to be able to attend [jobs].”