Datchet to Hythe End Flood Improvement Measures - Welcome

Closes 31 Dec 2026

Opened 24 Nov 2023

Overview

March 2024 update

In November 2023, the Environment Agency held 2 public drop-in events at the Wraysbury Hub (Friday 24 November) and Datchet Women's Institute Hall (Saturday 25 November). The objective of these events was to raise awareness of the scheme and its timeline. A report that summarises the event and the feedback received is available here.

We informed community members that we will organise further events in summer 2024 to talk about the options to reduce flood risk in more detail.

We have also set up a Community Liaison Group to provide a link to local communities, with the first meeting held in February 2024. The group is formed from representatives of the local communities within the study area who came forward at the November drop-in events. If you would like to know more about the community Liaison Group, or have other questions, please contact us at THM.Schemes@environment-agency.gov.uk

What is the Datchet to Hythe End Flood Improvement Measures project?

The Datchet to Hythe End Flood Improvement Measures is a project run in partnership by the Environment Agency and the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, to explore ways to reduce flood risk to communities in the Datchet, Horton, Wraysbury and Old Windsor area. The project area is shown in red below.

We are reviewing a long list of potential measures which could reduce flood risk. Over the next year we will be refining these to come up with a short list of options to take forward.

More Information

This would improve conveyance within existing open areas of the floodplain, to divert flow away from areas at risk. This type of measure could include smaller scale interventions such as removing obstructions from overland flow routes or installing pipes to allow water to flow  away from ponded areas, or larger scale measures like a flood relief channel.

Before

After

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This would involve making changes to the existing River Thames channels to provide extra capacity to allow water to flow away from areas at risk. This could be achieved by modifying existing structures in the river such as gates or weirs, or by reprofiling the river channel.

Before

After

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This would involve holding back water in a flood storage area during high flows and then releasing it under controlled conditions when the downstream river levels are reduced (making space for the water). This type of measure could include local flood storage, or storage across the whole upstream catchment such as that currently being considered in various locations as part of the Thames Valley Flood Scheme.

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Options could include measures to reduce flood risk at property or community level such as:

  • Property resilience measures
  • Demountable defences

This could include measures that need to be actively deployed in advance of a flood event or passive measures.

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These types of measure would need to be implemented on a larger catchment-wide scale and would help protect, restore and emulate the natural functions of catchments, floodplains and rivers. This type of measure could include interventions close to the project area and across the whole upstream catchment, as is being considered as part of the Thames Valley Flood Scheme.

Before land management measures

After land management measures

Before woodland planting

After woodland planting

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These measures focus on ways to improve:

  • Public awareness and education
  • Flood warning and emergency response
  • Development control and land-use planning

Before

After

More Information

This would involve the construction of engineered raised structures such as embankments or walls to provide a physical barrier between floodwater and communities (including properties and infrastructure). In some cases, it may be necessary to install pumps or install a cutoff barrier below the surface to limit the amount of groundwater flowing under the defences.

 

Next page: Background of the Datchet to Hythe End Flood Improvement Measures

Audiences

  • Businesses
  • Charities
  • Statutory organisations
  • NGOs
  • Members of the public
  • Elected representatives, including MPs
  • Local councils
  • Academics
  • All water abstractors
  • Environment Agency customers

Interests

  • Flood management