Ash Flood Public Meeting – Thursday 5 March

Ash Flood Public Meeting – Thursday 5 March

At the public meeting, we will be concentrating on 3 things:

1.  Understanding the risk of flooding locally – maps modelling risk of abnormal rainfall impact of rivers. Maps showing ditches/drains/culverts and flow.
2. How to report incidents, who to for what type of incident etc.
3. What to do to prepare for a flood, what to do in the event of a flood.

Background:

The Flood Management Working Group (FMWG) is a parish council working group set up to help improve preparedness and resilience and reduce flood risk and flood impacts in Ash Vale and the wider GU12 area.

It brings together parish councillors and local knowledge to work constructively with the organisations that are legally responsible for flood risk.

What the Group Does

The Group focuses on practical, evidence-based action, including:

• Understanding local flooding
  Collecting information on where, when and how flooding occurs, including, watercourses, surface water, drains, ditches and sewer exceedance.
• Building a local evidence base
  Recording flood incidents, photographs and problem locations to support action by responsible authorities.
• Working with responsible organisations
  Liaising with Surrey County Council, the Environment Agency, Thames Water and the Borough Council to ensure local issues are recognised and followed up.
• Promoting practical solutions
  Identifying realistic measures such as improved maintenance, better drainage, flow-path protection and small-scale natural flood management.
• Supporting better development decisions
  Highlighting flood risk and drainage issues in planning applications and promoting high-quality sustainable drainage.

What the Group Does Not Do

• It does not replace statutory flood authorities.
• It does not take on responsibility for main rivers, sewers or highways.
• It does not promise that all flooding can be prevented.

Instead, it helps ensure problems are properly evidenced, prioritised and addressed by those with legal responsibility.