To receive the above verbal update.

Brianne Vally, Environment Agency, stated she had 4 updates including an overview of the catchment situation, Flood Risk Management Plan, an update on some works and finally an update on Datchet to Hythe End Flood Improvement Measures project.After a dry January in 2022, the Thames catchment area received 28% of the average rainfall for January. The local river levels were currently normal or below average.

Brianne Vally thanked all respondents to the consultations on the Flood Risk

Management plan that closed on 21 January 2022. She added that before the final plan was published, 2 separate reports would be published. This included a summary of feedback that was received and the second one would be a ‘you said, we did’ report, outlining what actions were taken following on from the feedback received. The river basin management plan consultations were still ongoing for 3 further months and would end on 22 April 2022. It focussed on the current state of the water environment.

Parish Councillor Malcolm Beer raised concerns about local authorities having to fund their sections of the channels. He added that it was impossible for Windsor and Maidenhead to pay into the Channel One Scheme. Brianne Vally acknowledged this and said that this would involve a direct change in the funding formula and beyond the direct remit of the scope, but she said these concerns would be looked at.

Brianne Vally said that there was a number of works currently ongoing in Cookham and Datchet. At the North maidenhead bund, vegetation was removed in September 2021, followed by an ecological survey and a topographic survey that was undertaken in January 2022. This would help inform further assessment.

Brianne Vally stated that there were 2 bunds in Cookham (Moors and Sailing Club) that had been identified as being below the required flood defence level, which was mainly due to trafficking and rutting. The works would consist of being topped with soil, turfing, and seeding in Spring 2022. A section of the Cookham Flood Wall was observed to leak during an earlier flood event. Investigations consisted of Ground Penetrating Radar Surveys (GPRS). The results of the investigations were currently being interpreted.

Additionally, works were taking place on a Public Right of Way behind the Cookham Flood Wall to prevent it from becoming boggy, to ensure the safety of the Environment Agency operatives when they accessed flood assets.

She added that a project was currently ongoing to repair the embankment on the Myrke ditch as vegetation had failed to establish, leaving a membrane exposed. Further works were also being carried out where the A4 (Bath Road) crossed the Jubilee River, however the majority of this fell under Buckinghamshire.

Councillor Larcombe said that the Myrke bank had already been rebuilt in 2004 or 2005 for a cost of £1.3 million. He added that the design and construction was sub-standard and expressed his concern as to why it had taken so long to rectify this. Brianne Vally said she would provide updates to the group as and when she received them.

Councillor Stimson noted that the embankment was longer than the section to the south of Battlemead Common and asked if only this section required works. Brianne Vally clarified that following surveys, only this section of the bund was shown to be below the required level of conditions.

(Parish Councillor Martin Coker joined the meeting)

Parish Councillor Ian Thompson said that the Myrke Ditch suffered several pollution incidents. He also asked the Environment Agency to prioritise looking at the bund that was causing flooding on to South Lea Road. Brianne Vally said that this was not currently spart of the programme of works in the same way that the Cookham bunds were. However, Datchet was an area of focus and discussions could occur going forward.

Brianne Vally stated with reference to the Datchet to Hythe End flood improvement measures project that the Environment Agency were bringing on board a framework contractor to implement a technically and economically viable option to reduce flood risk in the wards of Datchet, Horton, Wraysbury and Old Windsor. She added that in the last few months they had also reviewed the overall governance of the programme, which was important in establishing any programme of works. It was essential in obtaining programme approvals and funding as work proceeded.

Dick Scarff said that he was concerned about flooding at Battlemead Common and asked for reassurance that there would be no adverse results caused from the planting of vegetation. Brianne Vally confirmed that she could not categorically refute this, however admitted that the risk here was negligible.