Residents in Chesham sign up for free flood prevention scheme

Flood water to a depth of two inches in the Church Street and Missenden Road area of Chesham in 2014. (Image supplied by Buckinghamshire County Council)

Forty people in the small community of residents and businesses in the historic old town of Chesham have taken advantage of a free County Council backed scheme to protect their properties from flash flooding.

The £3.45m flood management scheme run by Buckinghamshire County Council was announced earlier in 2019. The flood protection is free for eligible residents with the aim to protect around 100 properties at Pednormead End when nearby River Chess overflows.

The scheme is funded jointly by Buckinghamshire County Council, the Government and Thames Regional Flood and Coastal Committee. It is in response to flooding which occurred five years ago which lead to some roads flooding under two inches of water.

Since the flooding in 2014 the County Council’s Flood Management Team have been examining options for a scheme robust enough to deal with a one in 100 year flood event and a one in 30 year groundwater flow.

During September 2019 (Wednesday 4th and Tuesday 10th September 2019) two local public drop-in events, attended by more than thirty residents, were held to publicise the flood prevention scheme.

Bill Chapple OBE, Cabinet Member for Planning and Environment at Buckinghamshire County Council, has been urging all residents and businesses to take advantage of the scheme. Bill said: ‘Every one of these properties gets a free flood management survey, and we pay for the installation of the improvements recommended.

This scheme is good news for everyone in the Pednormead End area, and I’m very pleased that 40 have so far signed up.

We’re unlikely to get this level of financial support again, and its success in protecting properties depends so much on residents involvement, so I’m aiming for a 100% take-up.‘

So far four properties have been surveyed as part of the flood prevention scheme and they will be offered a package of flood prevention measures tailored to their needs.

The flood prevention packages offered could include a combination of flood-resistant doors and ventilation covers, pumping systems, flood gates and raising internal electrics above flood levels. As part of the scheme a bigger culvert is to be constructed to take the river under Church Street.

*Source of article : Press release from Buckinghamshire County Council.