Latest News

Latest news

To see our progress to date please watch our latest videos. The first explains the need for the scheme, what the scheme includes and our project ambitions. In our second video you can find out more about floodwater storage.


Flood storage areas for further investigation

As part of the Thames Valley Flood Scheme, the project team has been identifying areas that could be used to store floodwater to reduce flood risk across the Thames Valley. We used a 3 pass approach, illustrated below, to assess over 700 potential locations for flood storage across the catchment of the non-tidal River Thames.

We have identified 17 locations that might be suitable to store flood water on some of the rivers that feed into the river Thames. You can read our report for more information on the process of site selection.

This map shows the initial 701 sites that we assessed. We used computer mapping to identify areas that could be used to store large volumes of water while avoiding major infrastructure and communities.

At the Pass 1 stage we removed any locations which were not suitable for storing water, such as areas of chalk outcrop and spaces that were not large enough. This resulted in us removing 489 sites from consideration, leaving us with 212 sites to investigate further.

For Pass 2, we considered the social, economic and environmental benefits that could potentially be created in each area. We also assessed the locations against sustainability criteria, such as wildlife habitats, heritage features, and historic landfill sites. This helped us narrow down our list to 84 possible sites.

Finally, we looked further at minimising the impact on residential properties. We also reviewed the size of flood storage that would be possible in each location. As each location has different factors impacting them, we carried out a variety of assessments for each site to understand how we could most effectively reduce flood risk. We now have a list of 17 areas for further investigation, shown in the map below.

We are at an early stage of investigation. We expect to continue to reduce the number of locations we are investigating as we identify site constraints.

We are keen to ensure that local knowledge is incorporated into our plans. When we have more certainty over which locations could work to reduce flood risk, we will be looking for local input to help us build a more complete picture of the locations. Sites are approximate and in some cases there may be opportunity to adjust their location along the river.




This timeline shows the main project milestones. These timescales are approximate and may change as the project develops.

As with any large project, it will go through a series of approvals and will need funding from government and partners for each stage. We expect the current stage of the project, which began in 2023 to take about 2 years, at the end of which the project would require further funding and approval should it propose to proceed. Beyond this, project timescales are difficult to specify as our findings will influence the direction of the project.

We will continue to look more closely into the 17 sites we have identified for further investigation for flood storage. As part of this work, we will carry out more detailed modelling on each site to see what flood risk benefits each could provide, both on their own and when combined together with other sites.

When we have completed this work we are likely to have a shorter list of areas to investigate. At this stage we will seek feedback to learn more about these individual locations. We will use this information along with technical findings and sustainability information to establish whether this project would deliver the flood risk benefits needed at a catchment scale to bring long term flood risk benefits to the Thames Valley.



Contact us

To find out how to keep up to date with our latest news, visit our Contact Us page.

To view any of our previous newsletters follow the links at the top of the page.



Latest news

To see our progress to date please watch our latest videos. The first explains the need for the scheme, what the scheme includes and our project ambitions. In our second video you can find out more about floodwater storage.


Flood storage areas for further investigation

As part of the Thames Valley Flood Scheme, the project team has been identifying areas that could be used to store floodwater to reduce flood risk across the Thames Valley. We used a 3 pass approach, illustrated below, to assess over 700 potential locations for flood storage across the catchment of the non-tidal River Thames.

We have identified 17 locations that might be suitable to store flood water on some of the rivers that feed into the river Thames. You can read our report for more information on the process of site selection.

This map shows the initial 701 sites that we assessed. We used computer mapping to identify areas that could be used to store large volumes of water while avoiding major infrastructure and communities.

At the Pass 1 stage we removed any locations which were not suitable for storing water, such as areas of chalk outcrop and spaces that were not large enough. This resulted in us removing 489 sites from consideration, leaving us with 212 sites to investigate further.

For Pass 2, we considered the social, economic and environmental benefits that could potentially be created in each area. We also assessed the locations against sustainability criteria, such as wildlife habitats, heritage features, and historic landfill sites. This helped us narrow down our list to 84 possible sites.

Finally, we looked further at minimising the impact on residential properties. We also reviewed the size of flood storage that would be possible in each location. As each location has different factors impacting them, we carried out a variety of assessments for each site to understand how we could most effectively reduce flood risk. We now have a list of 17 areas for further investigation, shown in the map below.

We are at an early stage of investigation. We expect to continue to reduce the number of locations we are investigating as we identify site constraints.

We are keen to ensure that local knowledge is incorporated into our plans. When we have more certainty over which locations could work to reduce flood risk, we will be looking for local input to help us build a more complete picture of the locations. Sites are approximate and in some cases there may be opportunity to adjust their location along the river.




This timeline shows the main project milestones. These timescales are approximate and may change as the project develops.

As with any large project, it will go through a series of approvals and will need funding from government and partners for each stage. We expect the current stage of the project, which began in 2023 to take about 2 years, at the end of which the project would require further funding and approval should it propose to proceed. Beyond this, project timescales are difficult to specify as our findings will influence the direction of the project.

We will continue to look more closely into the 17 sites we have identified for further investigation for flood storage. As part of this work, we will carry out more detailed modelling on each site to see what flood risk benefits each could provide, both on their own and when combined together with other sites.

When we have completed this work we are likely to have a shorter list of areas to investigate. At this stage we will seek feedback to learn more about these individual locations. We will use this information along with technical findings and sustainability information to establish whether this project would deliver the flood risk benefits needed at a catchment scale to bring long term flood risk benefits to the Thames Valley.



Contact us

To find out how to keep up to date with our latest news, visit our Contact Us page.

To view any of our previous newsletters follow the links at the top of the page.



Page last updated: 15 Apr 2024, 07:20 AM