Apologies were received from Parish Councillors Fiona Hewer and Ewan Larcombe.

Members of the Flood Group agreed to the following amendments to the Terms of Reference:

Moving forward, the Flood Group would be known as the Borough Flood Liaison Group.

DRAFT TERMS OF REFERENCE

1.             PURPOSE OF THE FLOOD GROUP

The main purpose of the group is to seek to reduce the impact of flooding on the borough’s residents and to promote the implementation of permanent and sustainable solutions to mitigate or alleviate flooding with regard to the objectives of the Pitt Review and the Flood and Water Management Act.

The group will also seek to improve communication between the Flood Risk Management Authorities and representatives from flood affected communications.

2.             OBJECTIVES

The Flood Group will work to:

o   Develop the Strategic Flood Risk Management Plan for the Borough.

o   Ensure that partners’ (The Borough, the Environment Agency and Thames Water), own organisations are aware of and can respond to flood related issues.

o   Ensure that the Council’s interests are represented at regional and national level in respect of flood policy development and funding.

o   Work with the key agencies’ to enhance their working relationships with the Council and each other.

o   Review procedures for flood prevention, response and recovery.

o   Establish what arrangements there are for involving and consulting local communities in determining flood prevention plans and in flood response and recovery arrangements.

o   Arrange periodic and appropriate training or information exchange for relevant personnel, including partners’ own workforces, emergency services, volunteers and other stakeholders on the operational aspects of flood risk management

o   Make recommendations for appropriate action by the Council via the relevant Overview and Scrutiny Panel and partner agencies.

3.             MEMBERSHIP

o   The group will be chaired by a Borough Councillor, who is either the Borough’s representative on the Thames Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (where this role is undertaken by a Borough Councillor) or by the appropriate Lead Member with responsibly for flood risk management.

o   Up to 7 Borough Councillors from flood affected wards (with not more than one representative from each ward)

o   Up to 7 Parish Council representatives, who should be the Chair or Vice Chair of their Parish Council, from the Parish Council Flood Liaison Group

o   Appropriate officer representation from Thames Water

o   Appropriate officer representation from the Environment Agency

o   Appropriate officer representation from the Royal Borough’s Flood Risk Management Team

The group may co-opt representatives to sit on the group as appropriate.

4.             OPERATION

o   The group will meet 4 times per year in January, April, July and October.

o   Agendas and minutes of the group’s meetings will be posted on the Borough website

o   The Parish Flood Liaison Group Chair or Vice Chair will notify the Borough’s Flood Risk Management Team of items to be included on the agenda of the next Borough Flood Liaison Group meeting. At least 2 weeks’ notice will be given of such items to allow inclusion on the published agenda.

o   Member representatives will determine for themselves how they wish to report back  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.

To consider the minutes of the meeting held on 5 October 2015

RESOLVED: That the Part I minutes of the meeting held on 5 October 2015 be approved.

·         Update on River Thames Scheme

·         Update on Middle Thames Flood Alleviation Schemes

·         Update on Marlow Flood Alleviation Scheme

·         Update on issues on Roundmoor Ditch, Boveney Ditch and

Common Ditch

·         Progress on reinstatement of flood defence bund at Southlea  Road

The main points of the EA update on the River Thames Scheme included:

Ø  There had been some delay in undertaking the modelling but this would not impact on the overall River Thames Scheme programme.

Ø  Work on the scheme was continuing and the delay in the modelling outputs would not result in a pause to the scheme.

Ø  The EA were looking to finalise details and planned to have one to one meetings with relevant parties.

Ø  The scheme had been assessed at a strategic level and further workshops were planned (next workshop June / July 2016).

Ø  Community engagement projects would be taking place.

Ø  Scott Salmon was now the RBWM contact point for the River Thames Scheme.

Ø  The EA was unable to provide a definitive start date for the commencement of the works.

Ø  There is still a funding gap (estimated costs £302m, currently funding gap £45m) but the EA were working with partners to resolve this.

Ø  The planned route of the diversion channels was still under consideration and the EA were meeting affected borough’s to work out the benefits of the scheme and review the planned route.

The main points of the EA update on the Middle Thames Plan  included:

Ø  The EA were looking at flood risk and possible flood risk alleviation schemes  below Oxford and above the River Thames Scheme.

Ø  The EA were working with Thames Water and other services and were going to all boroughs asking what they wanted to see happen.

Ø  A project manager had been appointed.

Ø  The EA would also be communicating with Parish Councils.

The main points of the EA update on the Marlow Flood Alleviation Scheme included:

Ø  Works were continuing on the scheme and planning permission was still in date.

Ø  An alternative use has been approved for an area of land identified to provide compensatory storage and the EA were therefore in talks with the landowner.

Ø  An archaeological  survey was being carried out.

Ø  The planned start date of the works was Spring 2017

The main points of the EA update on issues on Roundmoor Ditch, Boveney Ditch and Common Ditch included:

Ø  Eton Flood Forum had visited the Jubilee River.

Ø  The Forum had expanded.

The main points of the EA update on the progress on reinstatement of flood defence bund at Southlea Road included:

Ø  The EA would discuss this issue in more detail  with the Parish Council after the meeting.

A query was raised regarding the provision of additional culverts on the White Brook where it crosses Sutton Road in Cookham. Simon Lavin stated that this proposal had been reviewed by the EA following the January 2003 Thames flood event and that the modelling undertaken at this time indicated that the provision of additional culverts at this location would provide little benefit. Modelling would also be required to assess downstream impacts of any such proposal.

·         Ham Island

·         Little Marlow STW

·         Slough STW

·         Update on any recent significant operational issues

The main points of the Thames Water update on Ham Island included:

Ø  Bridge strengthening works were being programmed.

Ø  A temporary sludge export main is being designed to reduce the number of tanker movements.

Ø  A meeting was held with Old Windsor Parish Council on 2 February 2016 where it was agreed to hold more frequent engagement with the Parish Council.

Ø  Thames Water had increased the number of tankers to 10 per day; this was to lighten the load on each tanker to comply with the lower weight limit on the bridge.

The main points of the Thames Water update on Little Marlow STW included:

Ø  Works on the inlet were underway and the first washpactor had been commissioned into service; works on the second would be completed at the beginning of March 2016.

Ø  Work to replace the screens started at the end of January 2016 and the first screen was in position and was due to be commissioned at the end of February 2016. There would be further lorries and cranes required as Thames Water continued the project with a completion date at the end of April 2016.

Ø  Thames Water now had a start date for the replacement of the air dome distribution system within the aeration lanes. Works were due to start the first week of April 2016 with works due for completion in October 2016. In the meantime, the system was still fully operational. Thames Water would also be running a Real Time Control trial within Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR) with an aim of reducing the electricity usage on site.

The main points of the Thames Water update on Slough STW included:

Ø  No issues to report. The site was performing well.

Ø  Separate meetings of the Eton Wick Flood Forum were being held, where all parties (the EA, local landowners, Local Authorities and Thames Water), were working together.

The main points of the Thames Water update on any recent significant operational issues included:

Ø  Slough – Wexham Road, two mis-connections between the foul and surface water systems had been discovered whilst relaying a section of the foul sewer. These cross connections have been removed.

Ø  Thames Water had now replaced over 200mm of defective pipework in Wexham Road which should reduce the risk of pollution in the Myrke.,

Ø  The previously reported fly tipping at the Queen Mother Reservoir was cleared in December 2015. More fly tipping had however occurred and is programmed to be removed.

·         Update on capital programme

Capital Programme

Ø  The Borough was in the process of developing its future Capital Programme.

Ø  The future Capital Programme was discussed at Cabinet on 11 February 2016 and would go to Full Council on 23 February 2016.

Ø  Indicative Capital Programme included:

o   £150k for drainage works

o   £150k for flood risk management works

o   £50k for development of Register of Structure and Feature

o   £20k for preparation of Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment

o   £100k for replacement of highway drain/flood risk management works at Waltham Road near Grove Park Industrial Estate.

o   Total £470k

Ø  Following confirmation of indicative programme by Full Council, Ward Members would be consulted on the details of the drainage and flood risk programme.

Bisham Survey

Ø  Simon Lavin had undertaken a basic survey of ground levels between  low lying properties adjacent to Bisham Road  and the Thames downstream of Marlow Weir.

Ø  The survey indicated that it may be possible to lay a 600mm dia pipeline from the low lying gardens to Thames downstream of Marlow Weir. However, this pipe would need to be laid at a slack gradient and while the outfall would be above lower typical water levels in the Thames, the outfall would be two thirds drowned at upper typical water levels in the Thames.

Ø  The next stage was for the level survey to be drawn up by RBWM technicians and shared with the EA to allow feasibility/benefits to be assessed.

Members noted that the Parish Flood Group had not met prior to the meeting on 15 February 2016. Meetings of the Parish Flood Group would now resume meetings.

The Environment Agency was undertaking enforcement action in relation to the operation of the recycling facility at Hythe End Road, Hythe End.

The next River Thames Scheme Berkshire Discussion Group workshop was likely to be scheduled for June / July 2016. Cllr Beer asked to be included on invite list for this workshop.

Environment Agency to arrange a meeting with representatives of Bisham Parish Council when the Marlow Flood Alleviation Scheme starts to move forward.

Environment Agency to provide an update on likely completion date of  the assessment of eligibility for inclusion in the Bisham Property Level Products Scheme and when an assessment of suitable measures for eligible properties will be available.

The reinstatement of the bund at The Poplars in Southlea Road, and associated issues relating to the brickwall fronting this property, that was damaged during the January / February 2014 flood event, were discussed. Cllr Grey undertook to seek to arrange a survey of the brickwall and seek resolution of this issue.

Thames Water have met Old Windsor Parish Council and have provided an update on Ham Island Bridge (weight limit / proposed works).

The review of the potential benefits / potential detrimental effects of possible local schemes relating to flooding from the Thames (i.e. improvements to Odney weir, provision of additional culverts at Sutton Road, Cookham and the closure of the cattle pass under railway line at Datchet)  to be included in Middle Thames Plan.

Thames Water to clarify the extent of the flood resistance / resilience measures undertaken at Lightlands Lane PS, Cookham).

Meeting to be arranged between Thames Water, the Environment Agency, WSP and the Borough to discuss the provision of a flap valve at the confluence of an ordinary watercourse passing through Datchet and the Datchet Common Brook (near Penn Road), cleansing works undertaken on the Barrel Arch at The Green and proposed gravel extraction site at Riding Court Road    

It was agreed that meetings would alternate between venues in Windsor and in Maidenhead.

Members noted the dates of future meetings:

Ø  13 April 2016

Ø  12 July 2016

Ø  17 October 2016

Ø  17 January 2017

Ø  3 April 2017

The above dates were subject to changes from Full Council.