London Colney Property Flood Resilience

Overview

We have created this information page to keep residents informed of current and future project developments in London Colney. We will be updating this page as the project progresses.

Flood risk in London Colney

What are the Environment Agency and Hertfordshire County Council proposing?

What is Property Flood Resilience (PFR)?

PFR grant eligibility

How will the scheme work?

How do I find out more?

Building your flood resilience

Maintenance of Main Rivers

Incident Response

Flood risk in London Colney

There is a history of flooding in London Colney from both the River Colne and London Colney Stream. There have been 7 recorded flood events from the River Colne since 1992, including properties flooding in 2000, 2009 and 2014. The most severe flooding occurred in October 2000 with over 50 properties being affected by flooding.

London Colney Stream is a small tributary of the River Colne and is largely culverted (runs underground) through London Colney. The stream is classified as a “main river” and is an open channel for a length of approximately 188 m upstream of Haseldine Road. Flooding occurred in the vicinity of the Haseldine Road / Cherry Tree Road area in November 2008 and again in February 2009.

What are the Environment Agency and Hertfordshire County Council proposing?

To reduce the impact of flooding, the Environment Agency, in partnership with Hertfordshire County Council, are offering eligible residents the opportunity to receive up to £8,000 towards the installation of Property Flood Resilience measures at their home. In most cases, this covers the total cost of all products.

What is Property Flood Resilience (PFR)?

PFR is a combination of products installed at your property to make it more resilient to flooding. PFR is tailored to each individual property. The measures for this scheme will be for flood resistance; their purpose being to keep as much flood water out as possible. Examples of PFR resistance measures include:

• Flood doors or barriers to reduce the amount of water entering your property.

• Automatic airbricks which close when they detect water at a certain height.

• Non-return valves fitted to pipes which exit the property, ensuring wastewater only flows in one direction and prevents backflow.

• Wall defence such as water sealants, re-pointing and rendering.

• Pumps to remove water. PFR products offer an alternative and more permanent means for homeowners to manage their flood risk, without having to rely on sandbags.

They are cost-effective and easy to implement, providing peace of mind and helping to reduce the stress and damage that flooding causes. For further information on PFR you can visit https://consult.environment-agency.gov.uk/hnl/propertyfloodresilience/

PFR grant eligibility

The Environment Agency in partnership with Hertfordshire County Council will be inviting eligible residents to apply for a PFR grant of up to £8,000 to cover the costs of PFR products and installation. To be eligible your property must meet one of the following criteria:

• Be at ‘Significant’ or greater risk of flooding from London Colney Stream or the River Colne, or suffered from internal flooding previously.

• Be at ‘Significant’ or greater surface water flood risk, suffered from internal flooding.

• Externally flooded whilst sharing a party wall of an internally flooded property.

How will the scheme work?

1. Residents will receive a letter inviting them to complete an application form to register for a free initial PFR property survey.

2. The Environment Agency will appoint a surveyor to attend your property on an agreed date and confirm if your property is suitable for PFR and which products are recommended. You will receive a copy of a report.

3. Should you wish to proceed, the Environment Agency will appoint a supplier to install your chosen products. The Environment Agency will pay up to £8,000 towards these costs.

4. Once installed, a post installation survey will be carried out to ensure the PFR products have been installed correctly.

How do I find out more?

We are inviting residents to attend a community drop-in where we will be sharing more information on the proposed PFR scheme.

Our project team will be available to answer any questions you may have on the scheme as well as any wider flood risk concerns.

Date: Saturday 4th May 2024

Venue: Caledon Community Centre, 9 Caledon Road, London Colney, AL2 1PS

Time: 2pm to 4pm

Building your flood resilience

You can take steps now to better prepare yourself for flooding and make your home more resilient Being resilient means you are more in control. It reduces the time spent out of the house because of flooding, and the stress and upheaval of being away from your home, work and community. • Sign up to our flood warnings: www.gov.uk/sign-up-for-flood-warnings • Prepare a personal flood plan and be assured of what to do if it floods: Personal flood plan - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) • Prepare a community flood plan and work alongside your neighbours to better prepare for, respond to and recover from flood events: Community flood plan template - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Maintenance of Main Rivers

The maintenance of statutory main rivers falls primarily to the riparian owners but in certain circumstances the Environment Agency will carry out work in areas with increased risk of flooding. In this case we carry out a grass cut to a section of the River Colne and clear debris from the Haseldine road trash screen. The Environment Agency will continue weekly planned visits to inspect and clear the Haseldine road trash screen.

Incident Response

The Environment Agency operates 24/7 incident response to monitor and attend the area for flood risk management when required. This includes remote monitoring of the Haseldine road Drain trash screen via CCTV. In the event of a blockage in the watercourse or immediate flood risk please notify the Environment agency using the Environment Agency incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.