Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber - Town Hall - Maidenhead

Contact: Wendy Binmore  01628796251

Items
No. Item

120.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

To receive any apologies for absence.

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Mike Williams from Wraysbury Parish Council.

121.

MINUTES pdf icon PDF 106 KB

To confirm the minutes of the previous meeting.

Minutes:

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That the minutes of the meeting held on 29 October 2019 be approved subject to adding that Martin Coker, Cookham Parish Council had requested information regarding the depth boards located adjacent to The Pound at Cookham. Simon Lavin was liaising with the clerk at Cookham Parish Council.

 

ACTION: Simon Lavin to report back to Cookham Parish Council.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

122.

ACTIONS ARISING FROM PREVIOUS MINUTES pdf icon PDF 822 KB

To confirm the actions from the previous minutes.

Minutes:

ACTION

PROGRESS

Flood Risk Manager to chase up the report from Volkers Highways, and

inform the Parish of the outcome.

 

Further cleaning works on the “barrel arch” culvert in Datchet had started on Monday 20 January 2020. Water levels were however too high so the works  have been postponed until water levels recede.

David Bedlington to attend the next meeting of the Flood Liaison Group and

facilitate discussion on how public engagement on the RTS may be progressed.

Consideration is currently being given to an application under the Development Consent Order process. Therefore, an update at the next meeting would be more timely.

ACTION: Place on next Agenda

David Bedlington to send the link for the route maps on the EA website to the

Clerk for circulation to the Flood Liaison Group.

This was completed. The link will be included in the minutes again.

Brianne Vally, Environment Agency to send the link for the water situation

report for the Thames Valley area to the clerk to circulate to the Members of the Flood Liaison Group.

This was completed. The link will be included in the minutes again.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/water-situation-local-area-reports

Brianne Vally to forward the link for the Challenges and Choices consultation

to the Clerk for circulation to the Flood Liaison Group Members.

This was completed. The link will be included in the minutes again.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/environment-agency-launches-future-of-rivers-consultation

Brianne Vally to email an update on temporary flood defences for Wraysbury

to the Chairman, Councillor Larcombe and Mike Williams.

Brianne Valley updated the Group informing them that the EA had been trying to progress the latest round of modelling and analysing data. Developing a workable scheme that did not have a detrimental impact elsewhere and was not out flanked by flood water had however proven difficult They were therefore looking at a longer term plan to alleviate the flooding in Wraysbury and were seeking additional resources. . She was currently unable to give a timeframe.

Ian Thompson to send the Chairman his proposal for the installation of a

control valve on the ordinary watercourse outfall to Datchet Common Brook. The Chairman will then forward this to the Commissioning Team – Denise Kinsella to check who owns the land and where Thames Water’s responsibilities end.

The proposal for the installation of a

control valve on the ordinary watercourse outfall to Datchet Common Brook had been forwarded to the Commissioning Team.

Simon Lavin indicated that he was aware that the Council had recently issued a purchase order to Volker Highways to investigate / progress this proposal.

Denise Kinsella informed the Group that Thames Water did own some land in the vicinity of the proposed works.

ACTION: Denise Kinsella to follow that response in writing with an email to the Council’s Commissioning Team confirming the extent of Thames Water’s landownership at this location.

The Clerk to attach the report written by Councillor Larcombe on the

Wraysbury Drain to the minutes.

ACTION: Clerk to add to minutes

Parish Councils to email list of their flood wardens to the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 122.

123.

UPDATE FROM THE ENVIRONMENT AGENCY

To receive the above verbal update.

Minutes:

Brianne Valley, Environment Agency, reported the following:

 

·         In November 2019, eight properties had flooded in Oxfordshire and Cotswolds.

·         In December 2019, flood risk was much more widespread. On Christmas day, only three properties had flooded throughout the Thames area. December’s rainfall represented 142% of the long term average. Ground water levels were higher than average.

·         In January 2020, there were two flood warnings issued but no properties had flooded.

·         The Lower Thames model was now ready and the public facing website had been updated

·         The local planning authority was now using the latest data and were considering the model as part of the planning applications.

·         Data relating to specific locations including areas benefiting from defences and climate change extents can be requested and provided

·         The Parish Councils would welcome copies of maps covering their areas from the Environment Agency, Brianne Valley would be happy to speak with Parish Councils.

·         The data was already available and downloadable from the website.

 

ACTION: Can a full set of the data be provided to the borough

 

ACTION: Brianne Valley to update the group on the new model at the next meeting.

 

  • Ian Thompson complained that no predictions of the level / timing of predicted peak water levels in Datchet had been given by the Environment Agency during recent Thames events. Brianne Valley reported that a number of tactical meetings had taken place with the Surrey and Thames Valley resilience groups over December 2019. Amy Gower indicated that she would not have anticipated the Environment Agency issuing predictions of the level / timing of predicted peak water levels during a flood “alert”. The only predictions she would have anticipated were from the Met Office.

 

·         Concern was raised that no notification had been received indicating when the flood alerts were no longer in force. Malcolm Beer confirmed he had received notification confirming that the flood alerts had been downgraded.

·         Cookham Parish Council reported that the Cookham telemetry gauge had failed during the recent Thames events (and was indicating a constant reading). The Environment Agency indicated that this gauge had been repaired and was now operating correctly. It was not however possible to take gauges off line should they fail during a flood event.

 

ACTION: Brianne Valley to look into possibility of taking failed telemetry gauges off line.

124.

UPDATE FROM THAMES WATER

To receive the above verbal update.

Minutes:

Denise Kinsella, Thames Water, updated the Group with the following points:

 

·         It had been a wet autumn, leading to high ground water levels and some issues

·         A new role managing water levels in the sewerage system during wet weather had been created. This is a hands-on role.

·         New technology was being used that was not there before such as knowing what the sewers were doing in real time and putting things in place in case they were needed.

·         Pump run times at Lightlands Lane sewage pumping station had been reviewed and remained constant throughout the recent period of wet weather (i.e. the pump run times remained similar to that experienced in dry weather)..

·         Simon Lavin asked whether the pump run times at The Avenue and Friary Road sewage pumping stations in Wraysbury could be reviewed as some (external) flooding had been experienced in Horton Road Datchet over the Christmas period (and these pumping stations discharge to the gravity sewer system at the location of the experienced flooding). Denise Kinsella indicated that this incident had been reviewed and was the result of a blockage caused by fat and grease.

·         Similarly, Simon Lavin asked whether the pump run times at the pumping stations in the vicinity of The Street in Waltham St Lawrence could be reviewed, as problems had recently been experienced with surcharging of the foul sewer system..

 

ACTION: Thames Water to review pump run times at The Avenue SPS, Friary Road SPS and the sewage pumping stations in the vicinity of The Street in Waltham St Lawrence  and report back to Simon Lavin

 

 

 

 

125.

UPDATE FROM RBWM

To receive the above verbal update.

Minutes:

Simon Lavin indicated that a number of issues raised by Cookham Parish Council had been passed to the Council’s Commissioning Team (relating to maintenance responsibilities for a balancing reservoir on Dean Lane and the depth boards adjacent to the carriageway on The Pound)

 

Amy Gower, Emergency Planning, RBWM, confirmed that the Causeway Access Plan had been fully reviewed. RBWM’s emergency planning staff and Volker Highway’s staff had been trained. New traffic signals and lighting had been sourced. At present any volunteers involved in the plans operation are likely to be trained upon implementation of the plan.

Cookham Parish Council asked whether a copy of the updated plan could be shared (if need be they could treated this a “part 2”).

 

Amy Gower also reported that different types of flood training were being considered and she was awaiting feedback on courses.

 

ACTION: Amy Gower to check whether a copy of the updated Causeway Plan can be shared with Cookham Parish Council.

 

Ian Thompson indicated that Datchet Parish Council had previously raised a number of flood defence schemes that they would like investigated, including the installation of a non-return valve on a culvert below the railway line near the Eton End School. Simon Lavin indicated that all such schemes should be raised with the Council’sCommissioning Team.  Brianne Vally indicated that she had recently received the results of some hydraulic modelling looking at the potential benefits of blocking the culvert below the railway line near the Eton End School, which she would share with the Council’s Commissioning Team. The results of this modelling will assist in the assessment of this proposal.

 

 

ACTION: Environment Agency to share results of hydraulic modelling undertaken at Datchet with the Council’s Commissioning Team.

 

Cllr Larcombe asked why the Lead Local Flood Authority were submitting planning applications. Simon Lavin indicated that the Lead Local Flood Authority were a statutory consultee on the surface water aspects of “major” planning applications and would therefore provide comments on applications when consulted by the Local Planning Authority.

 

Cllr Larcombe also raised an issue relating to permitted development being undertaken in the flood plain in Datchet. Cllr Cannon indicated that this should be raised with the Council’s Head of Planning.

 

126.

UPDATE FROM THE PARISH COUNCILS

To receive the above verbal update.

Minutes:

All points had already been discussed during the meeting.