Overview

Updated on 3 May 2024

What is this page?

This page contains the latest updates from the West London Communities project. It provides the context for why the project is being delivered and also gives you links to important related information, including recent newsletters, FAQs and other related projects going ahead that link to this one. Links to relevant documents can be found at the bottom of this page.

We will update this page every 6 months at this stage of the project; we plan to provide the next update in October 2024.

Latest project update

During the last 6 months, the team has focussed on establishing the flood risk impacts of the change in Thames Barrier operation. In collaboration with Binnies, the engineering consultancy working on the River Thames Scheme, we have generated detailed data showing the water level impacts for a range of flood events across the whole study area. The results need to go through internal quality assurance and some additional analysis may be needed to show future climate change impacts beyond 2050. Once this work is complete, we will share an overview on this website.

As of this month, the project team is expanding to include specialist programme and contract management support, as well as working with two private delivery partners - Jacobs and BAM Nuttall - who will provide expert consultancy services throughout the project appraisal.

West London Communities Project Context

The Thames Barrier and associated defences were originally designed to manage the tidal risk upstream of the Barrier to Teddington Weir for the duration of its lifespan to 2070. Over the last few decades, the original remit has expanded to manage fluvial flooding to areas further upstream of Teddington Weir. This means the Barrier now closes more frequently than it would under the original operating procedures. If this elevated operation continues, then the Barrier will not be able to fulfil its original intended purpose with the required level of reliability. As part of the Thames Estuary 2100 Plan, which sets out how we can manage rising sea levels and increasing tidal flood risk on the Thames, we need to manage the number of Thames Barrier closures to preserve its lifespan. We provide further information on Barrier reliability and maximum closures in the related documents below.