The Environment Agency has said it will publish an updated Thames Estuary 2100 Plan in May 2023, following the conclusion of a consultation on its proposals which ran from 26 September to 20 November in 2022.
The Agency has now published a detailed summary of responses to the consultation and its own response to the feedback it received.
The environmental regulator said it will also act on feedback in future work, including:
- developing outcome delivery plans to set out actions needed to implement the Plan
- publishing an investment strategy by 2025
- launching a project to engage with communities in west London on managing flood risk
- continuing to refresh and improve its approach to engagement
The Environment Agency received 57 responses to the consultation. Of these, 24 were from members of the public and 33 were from organisations, including Thames Water and Southern Water.
The Agency and its partner published the first version of the Thames Estuary 2100 Plan in 2012. The Plan is a long-term strategy to manage the increasing risk of tidal flooding due to climate change throughout the estuary.
The Agency said it will work with its partners to develop an investment plan by 2025 to deliver the flood and coastal defence upgrades required by the Thames Estuary 2100 Plan. This will include long-term finance options to ensure efficient and effective investments and will set out the required milestones in the short, medium and long-term.
Respondents said the funding plan should:
- be transparent and fair
- not ask property and land owners to pay for defences that benefit a much wider area
- seek a bespoke funding settlement from the government for the Thames Estuary 2100 Plan
- support residents in west London to protect property from fluvial flooding
- require developers to pay a Community Infrastructure Levy
- review legal mechanisms available for enforcement
- identify partnerships to collaborate and save costs
- consider impacts on development of securing land for future defences
Potential funding mechanisms suggested by respondents included:
- sponsorship
- green finance
- a public-private partnership model
- contributions from developers
- public funding through general or local taxes
- the Community Infrastructure Levy
- a levy paid by businesses in central London
Examples respondents suggested where these investment models have been used before included Crossrail and the Tideway Tunnel project.
The Environment Agency will now publish an updated Thames Estuary 2100 Plan in May 2023, informed by responses to the consultation.
Click here to access the detailed summary of responses to the consultation and its own response to the feedback it received
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