More extreme weather is putting riverside communities at greater flood risk, university professor says

The vice chancellor of the University of Reading told guests that more extreme weather is putting riverside communities at greater risk of flooding at a talk in Cookham last month.

The talk, covering flood risk management in a time of climate change, was organised by the Maidenhead Civic Society and saw its patron and former Maidenhead MP, Baroness Theresa May, introduce Professor Robert Van de Noort as the guest speaker.

Professor Van de Noort is also the President of the River Thames Society and the former chair of the Thames Regional Flood and Coastal Committee.

The talk on Thursday, September 11 at the Parish Centre in Cookham, was attended by 49 people, including representatives from groups such as the Cookham Society, Cookham Parish Council, WildCookham and the Friends of Maidenhead Waterways (FoMW).

Royal Borough councillors Ewan Larcombe (NFFP, Datchet, Horton and Wraysbury) and Mandy Brar and Mark Howard (both Lib Dem) from the Bisham and Cookham ward were also in attendance.

The event saw Professor Van de Noort warn that the increasing frequency of extreme weather events is leaving communities across the Thames Valley area in need of both better flood protection and awareness.

The talk focused on the challenges facing flood-prone communities along the riverside, such as Cookham, particularly following the discontinuation of the Environment Agency’s Thames Valley Flood Scheme.

The plan had been produced to reduce the flood risk across the Thames basin through a range of adaptations to land management around the river and its tributaries.

Professor Van de Noort outlined both the ‘success’ of the scheme in Oxford, but also its problems, Ann Darracott, a member of the Maidenhead Civic Society, said.

She told the Advertiser: “We organised it [the talk] because although Maidenhead is protected by a very expensive flood alleviation scheme, several of our projects are still impacted by flooding.”

This includes two walking routes – the Green Way and the Millennium Walk.

The discontinuation of the Thames Valley Flood Scheme means there is ‘no overall scheme to deal with flooding in the Thames Valley’, Ann explained.

She added: “Certainly in this area, the Environment Agency is not interested in keeping streams clear because it says we’ve got the flood alleviation scheme, we’ve got the Jubilee River and the North Maidenhead flood bund, and there are consequences of that.”

A Q&A session was held following the talk where various issues were raised, including the Lightlands Lane Sewage Pumping Station stopping working during a flood,” Ann said.

She added: “It was an excellent talk and it posed the really difficult questions.

“How are you going to deal with climate change? Because the hotter the climate gets, the more water evaporates from the sea and that produces clouds that produce rain.”

Professor Van de Noort said: “I was grateful to be invited to speak to people in Cookham, which is one of the communities in our region which is facing up to flood risks that require urgent attention.

“With extreme weather events becoming more frequent, it is vital that we apply the best evidence and understanding of our rivers, so that we can protect people from damaging and dangerous flood events – and it is vital that we share that knowledge whenever we can.”

An Environment Agency spokesperson said:  “The Maidenhead, Windsor and Eton Flood Alleviation Scheme reduces the impacts of flooding to more than 3,000 properties in and around these communities, including Cookham.

  “Along the length of the River Thames we carry out a programme of channel maintenance which includes a range of activities to maintain conveyance such as dredging, weed cutting and removing blockages. 

“During the early part of this decade the Environment Agency spent around £50 million per year on channel maintenance of which between £5million and £11million was used for dredging.

  “The potential for increasing flood risk along the River Thames and its tributaries, driven by climate change, remains a serious concern.

"We continually explore opportunities to better protect communities and help them adapt to future challenges posed by climate change. 

  “Although we are no longer continuing to work on the Thames Valley Flood Scheme, we remain committed to reducing flood risk in the Thames area.

“The scheme reviewed options to reduce flood risk across the Thames catchment and we found that large scale flood storage in upper areas of the catchment does have potential to help reduce flood risk downstream.

“However, the cost of building these is too large compared to the benefits, therefore we would not gain the government funding and approvals needed to take the scheme forward.”