Guildford Flood Alleviation Scheme

Overview

Introduction

The Environment Agency, Guildford Borough Council, and Surrey County Council are working together to find a sustainable flood risk management scheme for Guildford town centre.

The scheme will: 

• improve the natural environment   
• build better connections between Guildford town centre and the River Wey

Guildford has a long history of flooding from the River Wey. Significant floods have caused damage to homes and businesses. They have also disrupted vital infrastructure such as roads and utilities.

The risk of flooding in Guildford will get worse with climate change. It is only a matter of time before we see another serious flood.

We want to develop a sustainable long-term flood risk management scheme that will:

• reduce flood risk 
• help Guildford’s communities to adapt to climate change

The Guildford flood alleviation scheme (FAS) will: 

• reduce flood risk to the town centre
• benefit residents  
• keep the town open for business in times of flood and help maintain Guildford’s thriving economy.

Working in partnership with Guildford Borough Council and Surrey County Council 

Guildford Borough Council are developing plans to regenerate Guildford town centre.

These plans will:  

• enhance the riverside environment and improve accessibility 
• make Guildford a more attractive place to live, work and visit 

This work has been shaped by extensive community stakeholder engagement. 

You can see Shaping Guildford’s Future website for further details. 

The proposed flood alleviation scheme will support Guildford Borough Council in their aspirations to meet the current and future needs of the community. 

We have also been working with Surrey County Council to make sure the scheme helps to meet wider Surrey County Council objectives. 

Progress to date 

In 2018, we held public drop-in sessions at Guildford Borough Council’s Millmead offices where we shared our early scheme proposals. These proposals included an option to reduce flood risk by putting flood walls and embankments within the north end of the town centre. 

Following feedback, the Environment Agency have: 

• examined other different options to manage flood risk 
• looked at how these options might better protect Guildford town centre 
• worked hard to find an approach that does not transfer flood risk elsewhere and meets Guildford Borough Council’s aspirations 

Working with Guildford Borough Council, we have expanded the scope of our assessment to make sure flood risk is reduced to as much of the town centre as possible. 

We held a public information event on 18 April 2024 at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in order to:  

• gather your local knowledge and experience 
• understand your priorities so we create a scheme that everyone can value and benefit from  

We will use this feedback to inform the design of the scheme. We are holding our next public information event in early 2025 where we will be able to share more details of the design options for the scheme.  

You can read the feedback report from our April 2024 public information event here: 

• Guildford Flood Alleviation Scheme public information event feedback report 
• Appendix A - All responses
• Appendix B - Additional responses
• Appendix C - Event display posters

The feedback report looks at how the Guildford community feels about a potential flood scheme, and highlights preferred additional benefits, including improved open space and active travel routes. We will now look at this and see how your local knowledge and views can inform the design of the scheme. 

Please see our December 2024 scheme newsletter here to learn more about how the project is progressing.

Get involved 

We want to understand and consider your views as the scheme progresses. 

Events

Please come along to our public event on Saturday 22 February 2025, 12pm to 5pm at the Electric Theatre, Onslow Street, Guildford, GU1 4SZ.  You will have the opportunity to view scheme materials, learn more about how the scheme is progressing and meet some of the team.

If you are unable to attend our in-person event, you can join us online for a virtual event on Wednesday 26 February 2025 from 7:30pm to 8:30pm to learn more about the scheme. We will post a link to join the event here nearer the time.

To find out more about our public engagement, please follow us on X @GuildfordFS

Next steps

During 2025, we will continue to work with partners, landowners, businesses and communities to better understand local requirements and, where possible, build them into the scheme.  

We will make sure any proposals will work to manage the flood risk while not increasing flood risk elsewhere.

As we develop the scheme further, we will carry out activities that will improve our understanding of the area and its natural environment. These activities include:

• ground investigation 
• topographic surveys
• environmental surveys

At the same time, we will look out for opportunities to enhance the natural environment.

The scheme will bring additional environmental benefits to the area. We are considering whether fish passes should be included at Unstead and St Catherine’s weirs upstream of Guildford. This will improve fish passage along the River Wey.

We will look at how to sustainably manage surface water flood risk by working with:  

• Guildford Borough Council
• Surrey County Council (the lead local flood authority) 
• Thames Water

When we have collected this information and considered your feedback, we will combine these findings to develop an option that balances the needs of the community.

Timescales and funding

We are moving into the next stage of the project, where we will carry out further detailed assessments, surveys and engagement. We expect this stage to last at least 2 to 3 years.

Guildford Borough Council and Surrey County Council have already contributed financially to help develop the scheme. The scheme can only be built once funding has been secured. This is likely to use a combination of funding from:

• central government (Grant in Aid)
• Thames Regional Flood and Coastal Committee
• local councils
• others that benefit from the scheme

We will be able to establish scheme costs when we have developed a plan for the scheme.   

Temporary flood barriers

We have temporary flood barriers available. We have identified an area around Mary Road and William Road in Guildford where we might be able use the barriers in the right circumstances. We used temporary flood barriers in December 2019 and February 2020 when flows in the River Wey were high. This helped to reduce flood risk to properties in the area.

Contact

Please email Guildfordfloodscheme@environment-agency.gov.uk if you would like further information about the scheme.