The Environment Agency has been developing a scheme to reduce the risk of flooding at Marlow in Buckighamshire directly from the river and indirectly from overwhelmed surcharged groundwater and local drainage systems.
The town has a history of flooding, most recently in 2014 when 23 properties were recorded to have flooded. Marlow also experienced flooding in 2012, when 8 properties were flooded, and in 2003 when at least 22 properties were flooded.
Planning permission was granted for the project in June 2010, but there were not sufficient funds available to start the scheme. The planning permission was valid for 5 years.
Since 2010, there have been changes to the way the Environment Agency is able to secure funding for flood alleviation capital projects. The new approach requires partnership funding, meaning sufficient funds for the scheme had to be secured before the scheme could start.
A combination of funding has been supplied by Buckinghamshire County Council, Marlow Town Council and Thames Regional Flood and Coastal Committee.
In June 2015, the Environment Agency started initial work on the scheme to prevent the planning permission from expiring - so far the Agency has implemented the planning permission by raising Gossmore Lane at the A404 viaduct.
The town is also affected by the emergence of groundwater through river gravels, which is linked to high river levels. A permanent groundwater pumping system will be installed with the flood defences to reduce the impact of rising groundwater.
Marlow is also affected by surface water flooding with water from heavy and persistent rainfall running off land and hard surfaces. Buckinghamshire County Council are currently appraising options on reducing the risk of flooding from surface water flooding.
The Marlow scheme will reduce the impact of flooding to 287 properties during a flood with a 1.33% annual probability of flooding (also known as a 1 in 75 year standard of protection). A flood of that scale would be greater than the flooding which was experienced in 2003, 2012 and 2014.
The Environment Agency is now planning to start advanced works on the flood alleviation scheme in mid-September 2016, with main scheme construction due to take place from Spring 2017 to Autumn 2017.
Buckinghamshire County Council, Marlow Town Council and Thames Regional Flood and Coastal Committee are contributing to the funding of this scheme, which is currently projected to cost £8.5 million.
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