Options we are considering
Over the last year, we have been reviewing a long list of potential measures to reduce flood risk in the area. This long list has been narrowed down to a short list of 2 options: Option Purple and Option Orange.
Option Purple – Flood walls and embankments
Flood walls and embankments are designed to reduce the flood risk by cutting off overland floodplain flow routes. This option uses a combination of both. It includes building new structures and improving existing ones, like the Sumptermead embankment in Datchet. Our next steps will be to look at exact locations where these could be effective in reducing flood risk.
Flood walls can
blend into an urban landscape by looking like any other wall
complement the local area by cladding them with similar styles of brick or stone
Flood walls are typically wider with deeper foundations to make sure they are strong enough to withstand flood water and limit groundwater seepage.
Flood embankments can
merge into garden and park landscapes by using shallow side slopes and appropriate planting
provide valuable habitat, with planting of wildflowers and potentially fit with other nature enhancement options
Option Orange – Flood relief channel
This option creates a second channel for floodwater, preventing it from spreading overland flooding communities. The same amount of floodwater from the River Thames upstream would be carried through the channel to re-join the river downstream. The flood relief channel would have a constant flow of water like a regular river.
What else are we considering?
It is important that we do not transfer flood risk from one community to another when carrying out any projects. We will carefully assess the impacts of each option. If needed, we will explore the following:
- Improve the effectiveness of main drainage channels in floodplain areas.
- Natural flood management opportunities across the wider catchment
- Improve flood conveyance at structures within the channel.
- Remove or lower barriers in the river floodplain such as high ground, fences and roads that block water from draining properly.
Resilience
We will explore flood resilience alongside Option Purple or Option Orange in areas that would not directly benefit from the options themselves. There are many different types of flood resilience including:
- Assessing if existing infrastructure can be improved.
- Promoting property-specific flood resilience.
- Reviewing emergency plans for flooding events, which includes identifying key transport routes and exploring how to speed up the return to normality.
- Awareness raising and education.
- Investigating the possibility of groundwater flood warnings.
- Speaking with local residents to see how we can learn from past experiences.
- Exploring further spatial planning opportunities with the Council.
Previous engagement
October 2024
In October 2024 we held a series of public drop-ins, in Wraysbury, Datchet, Old Windsor and Egham. We also offered 2 online webinars. We provided updates on the work we have carried out to review a long list of ways to manage flood risk. We shared the results of this which included 2 options to take forward for further investigation.
Please read our report on our public events here.
November 2023
We held a series of public drop-ins in November 2023 to share a long list of measures we were considering to reduce flood risk in the study area and to gain feedback from the community.
To find out more about these events and feedback, please read our reports:
