Environment Agency
The River Thames Scheme (RTS) carried out statutory consultation from 22 January to 4 March 2024.??
Since the non-statutory consultation in 2022, the scheme has significantly advanced, shaped by feedback and ongoing engagement with local communities and other key stakeholders.?
The RTS held:
- 11 in-person events around the scheme area
- 5 virtual events, which were attended by over 2,700 people
Main information that was presented at statutory consultation included:???
- channel design, downstream improvement measures, and impact on flood risk??
- landscape and green infrastructure design, including the active travel route and habitat creation areas
- construction principles, including the approach to managing materials and waste during construction??
- preliminary assessment of the environmental effects of the scheme??
The consultation materials included a:
- feedback form that respondents could complete online
- paper format to give feedback on the information provided at statutory consultation???
All feedback received during the consultation has now been reviewed. This feedback will be used to produce a consultation report, which will summarise the findings.
The report will be submitted as part of our Development Consent Order (DCO) application in mid - 2025.
Following submission, the report will be available to the public.
Meanwhile, you can read the?Statutory Consultation Summary Report which presents the feedback received from the closed questions. It also summarises the responses to the open questions.??
The River Thames Scheme (RTS) has published findings from its second public consultation.
The consultation ran between 8 November and 20 December 2022. It included:
- 10 public information events
- 7 online virtual events
The River Thames Scheme asked residents in the area for feedback on a range of topics.
We received 485 responses to the consultation:
- 447 were via questionnaire
- 38 were via email or letter
The responses will be used to develop the design of the scheme.
Key highlights
Respondents generally revealed a strong interest in access-related matters. This included access to the river and new green spaces for activities, such as walking, cycling and water-based recreation.
Respondents raised issues relating to technical aspects of the scheme, such as:
- reduction of flood risk
- improvement of flood flow
- dredging
- reducing road construction traffic and general disruption
- impacts on river users
Most respondents supported the idea of lowering the riverbed near Desborough Cut.
Respondents ranked in order their preferences for:
- access to green spaces
- connection to wildlife
- a more sustainable travel network
Most respondents viewed access to new green spaces as most important. Connection to wildlife second.
Read the full consultation report: https://www.riverthamesscheme.org.uk/consultation