NEWS: Richmond Council invites local input to develop future flood risk management work 

Richmond Council is updating its Local Flood Risk Management Strategy and looking for input from residents and community organisations, to ensure plans to protect the borough from flood risk best reflect local needs and priorities.  

As Richmond upon Thames is the only London borough to span both sides of the River Thames, and with residents and businesses already feeling the impact of flooding, preparing the borough for flooding and flood risk is a key priority for the Council.  

The Local Flood Risk Management Strategy (LFRMS) identifies various flood risks and how these are managed, as well as a clear outline of the roles and responsibilities of risk management authorities. 

Cllr Julia Neden-Watts, Chair of the Environment, Sustainability, Culture and Sports Committee at Richmond Council, said:  

“Some of our most important work at the Council is continuing to prepare and adapt our borough to a changing climate. As the Lead Local Flood Authority under the Flood and Water Management Act—and because so much of our borough lies in proximity to the Thames, the River Crane and the Beverley Brook, and is widely affected by surface water issues—a crucial aspect of this work is flood management. The Local Flood Risk Management Strategy has been developed to identify and manage all aspects of flood risk, including surface water flood risks, and to implement sustainable drainage.  

By working together with local partners on projects to increase flood resilience in areas of priority, like the Beverley Brook catchment area, and getting input from our residents on these important strategies, our aim is to modernise flood risk management, increase community preparedness and help to restore a more natural watercourse to our urban environment.” 

An original version of the strategy was published in 2015 and is updated on a six-year cycle to capture all progress made and ensure it’s up to date with industry policy and local need.  

Each version of the strategy needs to consider a wide variety of perspectives on flood risk and experiences of flooding, so it is very important that members of the public are able to comment on how they think flood risk management should be delivered within the borough.  

People who live and work in the borough are encouraged to have their say through this strategy survey, which will be open until 3 May 2023. On this consultation page, they will be able to read through the strategy’s key objectives and action plans to help inform feedback. A summary of the strategy’s key objectives is included below.  

If anyone needs help completing the survey or would like a paper copy or different format, they can email flooding@richmond.gov.uk or call 020 8891 1411. 

What are the key objectives of the Local Flood Risk Management Strategy?  

The updated strategy draft’s six key objectives focus on the following areas of flood risk management:  

Knowledge of flooding – To improve the Council’s and wider community’s knowledge and understanding of the risk of flooding and the interactions between different sources of flooding across Richmond upon Thames. 

Development of wider contributions – To encourage appropriately mitigated development across Richmond upon Thames by promoting sustainable, multi-beneficial solutions to contribute to wider social, economic, and environmental outcomes. 

Funding and resources – To seek and identify funding and resources available for a targeted approach to flood risk management. 

Partnership working – To proactively manage sources of local flooding to homes, critical infrastructure, and transport networks by establishing and maintaining partnerships with key organisations, including the Environment Agency and Thames Water. 

Raising awareness of flood risk with local communities, residents and businesses – To work with Risk Management Authorities to raise awareness of flood risk with communities, residents and businesses, and how they can take action to protect themselves and their property by contributing to the management and reduction of flood risk.

Emergency response plans and climate change – To use knowledge of flood risk and climate change projections to inform and adapt the emergency response to flooding within Richmond upon Thames.