Public Notice: Section 48, Planning Act 2008: River Thames Scheme

Notice Publicising a Proposed Application for a Development Consent Order

Notice is hereby given that the Environment Agency (EA) and Surrey County Council (SCC) (the“Applicants”) (whose registered offices are at Horizon House, Deaney Road, Bristol, BS1 5QH and Woodhatch Place, 11 Cockshot Hill, Reigate, Surrey, RH2 8EF respectively) propose to make an application (‘the Application’) for development consent under section 37 of the Planning Act 2008 to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The River Thames Scheme has been designated as a project of national significance following Secretary of State direction under section 35 of the Planning Act 2008.

The Application relates to the River Thames Scheme which runs through Runnymede Borough (between Egham Hythe and Chertsey) and through Spelthorne Borough (between Littleton North lake and the Desborough Cut). The Application will also include other related works within Elmbridge Borough (at Desborough Island and Molesey Weir), London Borough of Richmond upon Thames (at Teddington Weir) and London Borough of Hounslow (temporary provision of car parks).

Once built, the flood channel will be considered in legal terms to be a‘flood defence structure’and it is intended that it will also be a‘main river’. Further information on what this means is contained in the statutory consultation brochure and on the consultation website set out below.

The Application will, among other things, seek development consent for:

• The creation of a new flood channel in two sections through the boroughs of Runnymede and Spelthorne, totalling over 5 miles (8.5km) long;
• Capacity improvements to the Sunbury, Molesey and Teddington weirs to increase the amount of water that can flow through them. This would involve installing more gates that can be opened when river levels rise;
• Capacity improvements to the River Thames through lowering the middle part of the bed of the River Thames downstream of Desborough Cut;
• New green open spaces associated with the flood channel, with access for local communities and facilities such as sports fields, accessible pathway network, nature play spaces and associated new landscape features;
• Priority areas for habitat creation, enhancement and mitigation, which link existing and new wildlife corridors, improve fish passage and build upon the network of existing wildlife sites;
• New or improved active travel provision associated with the flood channel corridor in areas of enhanced public connection, linking to the existing network and two new pedestrian and cycle bridges across the River Thames at Chertsey and Desborough Island;
• Changes to the road layout and utilities, including temporary diversions during construction;
• Associated infrastructure, mitigation and enhancement measures and other ancillary works;
• The temporary stopping up, alteration or diversion (if required) of any street and/or public rights of way;
• The compulsory acquisition and/or temporary possession (if required) of land and/or rights;
• The application and/or disapplication of legislation (as required) that is relevant to the Scheme;
• Such ancillary, incidental and consequential provisions, licences, property rights, permits and consents as are necessary and/or convenient for the purposes of the Scheme;
• Temporary construction features such as site compounds and materials processing and storage sites; and
• Temporary car parking for construction workers.

The River Thames Scheme is an Environmental Impact Assessment development (‘EIA development’) under The Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017. This means that it is a development for which an EIA is required, and as a result, a Preliminary Environmental Information Report (‘PEIR’) will be published as part of the consultation material. The Application for a DCO will be accompanied by a full Environmental Statement.

Information points

Printed copies of the consultation brochure will be available for collection and the non-technical summaries of the PEIR, flood modelling report, other environmental documents and map books available for inspection free of charge at the following locations during normal opening hours: