Wraysbury, Datchet and Old Windsor left out of River Thames Scheme Consultation
Slough Observer 10th January 2024
By Daisy Waites
Residents battling flood water have said they have felt “forgotten” as whispers of a consultation threaten to once again leave them out of future flood relief.
Wraysbury, Datchet, Horton and Old Windsor have been engulfed with water after flooding caused by Storm Henk caused water levels to rise.
The four villages were left out of the protection the Jubilee River offered to Windsor and Maidenhead when it was opened in 2002.
Since then residents have been campaigning to have flood defences installed to protect their villages and homes.
In 2015 talks of a further leg of flood relief which would help properties further downstream were first discussed and called ‘The River Thames Scheme’.
As talks progressed the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead deemed their involvement in such a scheme as “unaffordable” and withdrew from the plans – leaving villagers concerned over what the future holds.
As a result, a revised scheme has seen the waterway network cut short, with the section originally named ‘Channel One’ that would have protected Datchet, Horton, Wraysbury, and Old Windsor from flooding, having been removed in 2020.
In 2022 RTS project director Dave Bedlington said: “There is still a flood relief benefit within the Royal Borough from the [River Thames Scheme].”
A series of consultations have already gathered public opinion on the scheme, but a further consultation is set to open on January 22.
The six-week consultation will last until March 6, with in-person and virtual events taking place across neighbouring areas, however, residents of Wraysbury, Datchet, Horton and Old Windsor feel like they have been left out with no sessions being run in the Royal Borough.
On the scheme’s site, it states: “The River Thames Scheme (RTS) will reduce the risk of flooding to thousands of homes, businesses and vital infrastructure.
“The scheme represents a new landscape-based approach to creating healthier, more resilient, and more sustainable communities.”
The River Thames Scheme is being run in partnership with Surrey County Council and the Environment Agency.
RBWM’s cabinet member for environmental services councillor Richard Coe previously told the Observer: “Measures to help tackle flooding in Datchet, Horton and Wraysbury and Old Windsor are being proactively explored by the Royal Borough and Environment Agency, including funding for alternative flood alleviation works.
“All flood risk management projects are complex, multi-stage, significant infrastructure projects and, as such, they take time to identify suitable options working with the community, secure the required permissions and raise the significant investment required from multiple sources in order for them to go ahead.
“Flooding remains a very real risk and concern in Datchet, Horton, Wraysbury and Old Windsor, and we share residents’ frustration at the slow pace imposed by national frameworks.”
Find out more about the scheme and consultation here.
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The original report may be located here https://www.sloughobserver.co.uk/news/24041090.wraysbury-datchet-old-windsor-left-river-thames-scheme/
The dedicated consultation page is here https://www.riverthamesscheme.org.uk/consultation