Question from Cllr Mullens to the Leader of the Council:
‘The River Thames Scheme, originally proposed as a 3-channel scheme, is now being developed as a 2-channel scheme, as the channel from Datchet to Bell Weir, Egham (Channel 1) that was due to be built to the north of Egham Town ward is no longer included in the design.
My question concerns the potential flood protection the River Thames Scheme might provide for Egham, in particular the difference in this protection under the original 3-channel scheme compared to the current 2-channel scheme.
Could the Leader please tell me
(i) how many properties in Runnymede Borough were flooded in 2013/2014?
(ii) how many properties in Egham Town ward were flooded in 2013/2014?
(iii) how many of these properties, (in Runnymede, and separately in Egham Town), which flooded in 2013/2014, did the Environment Agency’s model predict would have been protected from flooding by the original 3-channel scheme, (which included Channel 1), under river conditions similar to those in 2013/2014?
(iv) how many of these properties (in Runnymede, and separately in Egham Town), which flooded in 2013/2014, does the Environment Agency’s model predict will be protected from flooding by the current 2-channel scheme (which excludes Channel 1), under river conditions similar to 2013/2014?‘
Minutes:
Cllr Mullens asked the Leader of the Council the following question under Standing
Order No 13:
‘The River Thames Scheme, originally proposed as a 3 - channel scheme, is now being developed as a 2-channel scheme, as the channel from Datchet to Bell Weir, Egham (Channel 1) that was due to be built to the north of Egham Town ward is no longer included in the design.
My question concerns the potential flood protection the River Thames Scheme might provide for Egham, in particular the difference in this protection under the original 3-channel scheme compared to the current 2-channel scheme.
Could the Leader please tell me
(i) How many properties in Runnymede Borough were flooded in 2013/2014?
(ii) How many properties in Egham Town ward were flooded in 2013/2014?
(iii) How many of these properties, (in Runnymede, and separately in Egham Town), which flooded in 2013/2014, did the Environment Agency’s model predict would have been protected from flooding by the original 3-channel scheme, (which included Channel 1), under river conditions similar to those in 2013/2014?
(iv) How many of these properties (in Runnymede, and separately in Egham Town), which flooded in 2013/2014, does the Environment Agency’s model predict will be protected from flooding by the current 2-channel scheme (which excludes Channel 1), under river conditions similar to 2013/2014?
In response the Leader of the Council said:
(i)
It is difficult to identify how many properties were
affected by the 2013 / 14 floods as many home
owners did not wish to declare that there houses were
flooded or apply for grants because of concerns over future
insurance. The reports subsequently identified ‘flood
areas’ with data anonymised for similar reasons.
The Section 19 Flood Investigation Report: Runnymede 28 October
2015, published by Surrey County Council indicates that 4,090 homes
were impacted
(ii) The same report identifies that 4,000 properties in Egham and Thorpe were impacted
(III &
IV) Under the Planning Act 2008,
Nationally Strategic Infrastructure Projects, including the River
Thames Scheme, are subject to a Development Consent Order (DCO).
The DCO application is a prescribed process comprising
a period of Pre-Application Consultation before formal Application
is made to the Secretary of State for permission to proceed.
The Pre-Application Consultation phase on the River Thames Scheme
is expected to start shortly and is likely to take at least two
years.
During the Pre-Application Consultation – all aspects of the
environmental impact of the scheme will be consulted on by the
Applicant (the Environment Agency and Surrey County Council) with
the Statutory Consultees and members of the public. Runnymede
Borough Council is a Statutory Consultee.
Information relating to design and efficacy of the scheme will be
made available during the Consultation and Members concerns and
questions will be presented during this process.
At present this information is not available.
Cllr Mullens asked that given the lack of information on the benefits of RTS whether the Leader of the Council thought it was too early to say that removal of one channel will make no significant difference to future flooding in Egham.
The Leader of the Council commented that extensive modelling had been done and with appropriate mitigation he understood that 2 channels should be just as effective as three channels.