Results are in for the River Thames Scheme consultation

Runnymede Borough Council has committed to investing £5 million into the River Thames Scheme (RTS), an important nationally strategic infrastructure project. The scheme is designed to help protect communities, including 11,000 homes and 1,600 businesses, by reducing the risk of flooding. 

From January to March, key information on the scheme was presented to the public by Surrey County Council and the Environment Agency who are leading this development. This included:

• Channel design, downstream improvement measures, and impact on flood risk.  
• Landscape and green infrastructure design, including active travel routes and habitat creation areas.   
• Construction principles, including the approach to managing materials and waste during construction.
• Preliminary assessment of the environmental effects of the scheme.

The consultation saw over 2,700 people attend in-person at virtual events and received 2,500 feedback submissions.

The consultation results found that:

• 61 per cent believed that the scheme design met its goals.  
• 64 per cent agreed that the scheme would help to reduce flooding in the area it covers.   
• Over 70 per cent of respondents agreed with including an active travel route as part of the scheme.   
• 67 per cent of respondents agreed with including bridges as part of the active travel route.   
• Nearly 80 per cent of respondents agreed with the aim of creating wildlife habitats as part of the scheme. 

The detailed and insightful feedback has provided the RTS project team a fresh prospectives on design elements such as the flood mitigation measures, the active travel route, and newly proposed habitats. This will be used to help refine the project to better serve the people and environment for the scheme area.

What is the River Thames Scheme?

The scheme is a nationally significant infrastructure project designed to reduce the risk of flooding for communities along the River Thames.

Watch the video below to find out more about the scheme.

What happens now?

The feedback gathered at the consultation has fed in to a report which summarises the findings.

The report also carries information on how feedback has been considered and how it has informed any changes to proposals or refinements of the scheme.

The report will be submitted as part of the Surrey County Council and Environment Agency’s Development Consent Order (DCO) application to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs via the Planning Inspectorate. After submission in 2025, it will be available to the public.  

A Development Consent Order is similar to applying for planning permission but for very large regionally important schemes.

More information on the River Thames Scheme can be found on its website.

www.riverthamesscheme.org.uk