Flood strategy should pay more attention to Teddington - Council (Twickenham & Richmond Liberal Democrats)

Flood strategy should pay more attention to Teddington - Council

February 6, 2010 6:07 PM

• RICHMOND Council has welcomed the Environment Agency's (EA) latest strategy for protecting parts of the borough from flooding, but is concerned it does not address some of the potential flooding issues in Teddington.

The Lower Thames Flood Risk Management Strategy proposes an upgrade of Teddington Weir to cope with an increase in water from higher levels of rainfall, and flood prevention work further up the River Thames. However, the Council believes the document does not pay enough attention to the combined impacts of tidal and river (fluvial) flooding around Teddington and the potential flooding that may arise from combined floods caused by an overflowing river and heavier rainfall.

Cllr Geoff Acton, Richmond Council's Cabinet Member for Environment, said: "The extra research into some areas of flooding will obviously be useful, but I'm concerned the EA is not focussed on the dangers residents and their homes and businesses in Teddington will face if the Thames floods. We have seen a significant amount of rain and snowfall recently which has heightened river levels, and our view is that more thought needs to be given to how lives will be affected. Having your home flooded or your business wrecked because of flood water is devastating. The Council will continue to press the EA to make sure it pays full attention to all aspects of flooding so residents receive as much protection as possible. The recent Thames Estuary 2100 study found there was likely to be a 40 per cent increase in river flooding in the next 100 years. We feel strongly that more needs to be done in recognition of this by the agency - there are many properties in the borough which would be at risk, including undefended islands."

The Council is calling on the Environment Agency to:

• Take into account the impact of both river (fluvial) and tidal flooding and to look more closely at the effects of combined river and surface water flooding.

• Show specific explanations of how the Thames Estuary 2100 and Lower Thames strategies will be used together to cut risks to households and businesses.

• Receive a commitment from the EA to use the Thames Barrier as far as possible to alleviate river (fluvial) flooding.

• Commit specific funding to work on the borough's stretch of the Thames, particularly to increase the capacity of Teddington Weir and for community based flood prevention initiatives, including the protection of properties.

• Ensure residents and businesses are fully aware of the risks and measures they can take to protect themselves from flooding.

If the strategy is delivered in full, it is estimated that it could substantially reduce the risk of flooding to 5,100 homes in an area from Datchet in Berkshire to Teddington. The EA's strategy also suggests improving flood mapping, developing local flood action plans and providing financial support for community based measures which could include temporary or demountable defences and specific schemes for individual homes or groups of homes. This includes defences around Teddington Studios.

Richmond upon Thames Liberal Democrats: