West London Communities project

The West London Communities Project is currently an early-stage study focused on understanding future flood risks to properties and critical infrastructure in locations between Richmond and Sunbury, including Twickenham, Teddington and Kingston.

We will work with residents, local authorities and other partners in future phases of the West London Communities Project (WLCP) to identify and implement measures that will increase resilience to flooding from 2035 onwards.

Flooding will be more frequent because climate change is leading to rising sea levels and more extreme rainfall patterns. This means we will have to respond by adapting the flood defence system. In the Thames Estuary, this includes changing the parameters for when we close the Thames Barrier, in line with the Thames Estuary 2100 Plan.

We have begun the West London Communities Project by carrying out computer modelling to assess how these changes will affect flood risk when high river levels coincide with high tides in West London.

The findings show that water levels in the River Thames will rise over time, especially affecting areas like Richmond, Twickenham, Teddington, and Kingston. The extent of flooding will vary by location, with downstream areas facing the greatest impact during frequent river floods. The technical report on the right of this page tells you in detail which areas will be affected and by how much.

We have created a simplified summary of the modelling results, to make the technical data more accessible. This is also available on the right of this page.

We recommend reading the summary before reviewing the full technical report. It includes explanations to help you understand what the data shows about future flood risks in your area.

We are currently using the new flood risk modelling to investigate the types of mitigation options that could be suitable for different communities in the study area. We will be engaging with communities in 2026 to better understand your needs and requirements which could influence future flood resilience options.

Why are we doing this?

Flood risk on the Thames will increase due to climate change, with more intense rainfall, more frequent storms, and rising sea levels along the Thames Estuary. These changes are putting pressure on the Thames Barrier and its system of flood defences, which plays a crucial role in protecting London.

We will adapt how the Thames Barrier operates, starting in 2035, to keep London protected. This will ensure that the Barrier continues to protect 1.4 million people and 460,000 properties until a replacement option is needed by 2070. We will still be able to use the Thames Barrier to protect against tidal surges, but not to reduce river levels further upstream beyond Teddington.

We are making this operational change to ensure the Barrier remains reliable for its primary purpose of protecting London from tidal flooding. This change is one of many actions outlined in the Thames Estuary 2100 Plan – our strategy for managing future tidal flood risk in London and the Thames Estuary.

What can you do today?

There are things we can all do today to prepare ourselves for the increased flood risks expected in the future. Essential first steps include:

  1. checking your flood risk

  1. signing up for flood warnings, and

  1. making a flood plan

Making our homes and businesses more flood resilient is a vital part of responding to the climate emergency. Property Flood Resilience (PFR) can include measures such as air brick covers, water resistant doors and non-return valves on drainage. These measures will make houses more resistant to flood water but will not stop it entering entirely during floods that last a long time.

How we will use this page

This page is an early version that will be updated and improved over time.

We will provide detail about the study, including the information that is informing our decisions and actions. We will also share updates throughout these early stages.

We will share information on the right-hand side, including the modelling report, our summary of that report and other useful content.

We will provide different ways to engage with the project as we reach bigger milestones in our study. The milestones tab on the right shows when to expect those updates.

How you can engage with the study

  • As this is a very early release of an engagement page, we're mainly providing some useful information at the moment.

  • Please register to the site and subscribe to this page to participate in future engagement and be added to our mail list to receive notifications of significant updates. Also consider favouriting this page in your browser so you can easily come back later.

  • We're not currently offering any specific engagement opportunities or activities; we will be updating the page and providing opportunities for this over the next year.

The West London Communities Project is currently an early-stage study focused on understanding future flood risks to properties and critical infrastructure in locations between Richmond and Sunbury, including Twickenham, Teddington and Kingston.

We will work with residents, local authorities and other partners in future phases of the West London Communities Project (WLCP) to identify and implement measures that will increase resilience to flooding from 2035 onwards.

Flooding will be more frequent because climate change is leading to rising sea levels and more extreme rainfall patterns. This means we will have to respond by adapting the flood defence system. In the Thames Estuary, this includes changing the parameters for when we close the Thames Barrier, in line with the Thames Estuary 2100 Plan.

We have begun the West London Communities Project by carrying out computer modelling to assess how these changes will affect flood risk when high river levels coincide with high tides in West London.

The findings show that water levels in the River Thames will rise over time, especially affecting areas like Richmond, Twickenham, Teddington, and Kingston. The extent of flooding will vary by location, with downstream areas facing the greatest impact during frequent river floods. The technical report on the right of this page tells you in detail which areas will be affected and by how much.

We have created a simplified summary of the modelling results, to make the technical data more accessible. This is also available on the right of this page.

We recommend reading the summary before reviewing the full technical report. It includes explanations to help you understand what the data shows about future flood risks in your area.

We are currently using the new flood risk modelling to investigate the types of mitigation options that could be suitable for different communities in the study area. We will be engaging with communities in 2026 to better understand your needs and requirements which could influence future flood resilience options.

Why are we doing this?

Flood risk on the Thames will increase due to climate change, with more intense rainfall, more frequent storms, and rising sea levels along the Thames Estuary. These changes are putting pressure on the Thames Barrier and its system of flood defences, which plays a crucial role in protecting London.

We will adapt how the Thames Barrier operates, starting in 2035, to keep London protected. This will ensure that the Barrier continues to protect 1.4 million people and 460,000 properties until a replacement option is needed by 2070. We will still be able to use the Thames Barrier to protect against tidal surges, but not to reduce river levels further upstream beyond Teddington.

We are making this operational change to ensure the Barrier remains reliable for its primary purpose of protecting London from tidal flooding. This change is one of many actions outlined in the Thames Estuary 2100 Plan – our strategy for managing future tidal flood risk in London and the Thames Estuary.

What can you do today?

There are things we can all do today to prepare ourselves for the increased flood risks expected in the future. Essential first steps include:

  1. checking your flood risk

  1. signing up for flood warnings, and

  1. making a flood plan

Making our homes and businesses more flood resilient is a vital part of responding to the climate emergency. Property Flood Resilience (PFR) can include measures such as air brick covers, water resistant doors and non-return valves on drainage. These measures will make houses more resistant to flood water but will not stop it entering entirely during floods that last a long time.

How we will use this page

This page is an early version that will be updated and improved over time.

We will provide detail about the study, including the information that is informing our decisions and actions. We will also share updates throughout these early stages.

We will share information on the right-hand side, including the modelling report, our summary of that report and other useful content.

We will provide different ways to engage with the project as we reach bigger milestones in our study. The milestones tab on the right shows when to expect those updates.

How you can engage with the study

  • As this is a very early release of an engagement page, we're mainly providing some useful information at the moment.

  • Please register to the site and subscribe to this page to participate in future engagement and be added to our mail list to receive notifications of significant updates. Also consider favouriting this page in your browser so you can easily come back later.

  • We're not currently offering any specific engagement opportunities or activities; we will be updating the page and providing opportunities for this over the next year.

Page last updated: 21 Nov 2025, 04:50 PM