RBWM Member Questions and Answers 26-9-2023 (Council Meeting – 26 September 2023)
Councillor Larcombe will ask the following question of Councillor Coe, Cabinet Member for Environmental Services
Question 1
Please explain why the Wraysbury Drain is still blocked at Hythe End having been reported over four years ago?
Answer
The Wraysbury Drain has been blocked for many years, in particular at Hythe End where homes and an industrial yard have been built across its path.
Sadly, in 16 years the former Conservative administration made extremely limited progress in restoring the channel as a whole and no progress at all in reinstating the channel in the vicinity of Hythe End.
The Council did undertake clearance of part of the channel at the Dive Centre in March 2022 and engagement and enforcement work is currently underway along another section where riparian owners have recently taken action to further clear the channel.
How planning consent has been acquired for property to be built across the course of a drainage channel is a question we are exploring with officers, with a view to seeing if there are any lessons to be learnt. We will also look at options for reinstatement of this section of channel such as diversion or culverting.
Further updates on work to reinstate and maintain the Wraysbury Drain are given by the council at the bi-monthly Flood Liaison Group.
Councillor Larcombe will ask the following question of Councillor Jones, Deputy Leader of the Council and Lead member for Finance
Question 2
With the ever-increasing probability of flooding, how much RBWM money has been allocated over future years towards flood defence and land drainage infrastructure maintenance and improvements please?
Answer
The following items are currently identified as ‘spend’ in the capital budget in relation to flood defence and land drainage infrastructure maintenance and improvements.
2023/4 CD54 River Thames Scheme Infrastructure Project £400k
CI93 Highway Drainage Schemes £300k
2024/5 CD54 River Thames Scheme Infrastructure Project £450k