Flood defences could be key to housebuilding

The Millmead area of Guildford was hit by flooding from the River Wey in early March

A proposed flood prevention scheme for Guildford in Surrey could help the council meet its housebuilding targets.

The Environment Agency is looking into an expanded scheme which would open up previously unusable town centre land for new housing.

The project could take up to three years to finalise.

A public drop-in event is to be held at the Yvonne Arnauld Theatre on 18 April between 14:00 and 19:00 BST.

Councils have to identify land for housing to meet Government set targets, but Guildford Borough Council had to recently disregard 50 sites because they were subject to flooding, 30 of which were in the town centre, the Local Democracy Reporting Service was told.

If the expanded flood alleviation scheme goes ahead it would instantly increase the amount of available land in the town and take pressure off green belt villages.

Guildford has a long history of flooding from the River Wey, and the Environment Agency (EA), working with the borough council and Surrey County Council, is looking to reduce the high level of flood risk to the town centre.

The project is still in its appraisal stage, but the EA has confirmed it is looking to create a larger protection zone than initial plans from 2018.

2020 saw Guildford hit by floods once again

Jon Mansbridge, Guildford Flood Alleviation Scheme project director at the Environment Agency, said: “The feedback we gather from communities during our engagement is really valuable in helping to inform the preferred option."

Councillor Joss Bigmore, former co-leader of Guildford Borough Council, said: “Finally the Environment Agency is supporting the council by backing a flood alleviation scheme.

“We’ve been patient, nobody has the money to do these things, and it's positive we are at the top of the queue.

“Hopefully we can come up with a comprehensive solution and hopefully we can eradicate the risk of flooding for the centre of Guildford for the next century."

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