Planning and design

Planning and design

Planning and design work on the project has been on-going since 2015, including consultation with the public. During that time we have developed our outline design that considers economic, environmental, community, technical and landowner aspects.

We have considered:

• How the scheme will operate by understanding the flow of water through the system using hydraulic modelling
• The views of landowners and communities along the route
• Delivering the most acceptable environmental solution that complies with environmental legislation
• Opportunities to create habitats for wildlife and recreation activities including walking, cycling, boating and angling.
• How much the scheme will cost and what benefit it will provide
• The type of ground in the area
• Operation and maintenance of the scheme
• The type of construction and the equipment needed
• Health and safety

All of the decisions we make are independently reviewed by specialists to make sure we have the right solution.

We have used this information to develop the best solution for protecting communities, securing the economy and enhancing the Thames.

Changes to the design

There have also been some important changes to the design. One of these has been a reduction in the number of channel sections from three to two, with a third section in Berkshire no longer being taken forward.

A third channel section from Datchet to Hythe End was previously included in the River Thames Scheme. The Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead were unable to raise the funding required to deliver the channel section and as such this cannot be taken forward by the River Thames Scheme.

Removing this section of channel does not change the existing flood risk in this area. The Environment Agency continues to work with the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead to look at flood management solutions in the area.

The design process

The River Thames Scheme design process follows the following steps.

• Survey - ongoing surveys by our ecologists to understand the existing habitats and what species are present.
• Creation – Careful implementation of our plans.
• Design – options for creating and maintaining new and existing habitats. Plans to safely relocate species during construction and recreate some habitats that will be unavoidably lost, as well as create new and existing habitat areas.
• Dialogue – continuous conversations with interested people, in particular landowners and wildlife groups.