In July 2021, Kensington suffered some of the worst flooding in its history.
This happened as a result of our flood defences being not fit for purpose, and I am determined to ensure that Kensington is made flood resilient moving into the future.
Over last couple of years, I have convened a number of meetings to talk to Thames Water executives, Council members and consumer advice bodies to work on the issues that matter to residents most; getting major infrastructure investment into our sewer network, improving communications between the Council, Thames Water and residents during a flood event, and obtaining affordable insurance if your property is at risk of flooding.
Last year, I led a debate in Westminster Hall with the support of colleagues on both sides of the House where I called on Thames Water to invest properly in our long-term sewage and drainage infrastructure. Read more here: Felicity Buchan Leads Parliamentary Debate on Flooding in Kensington | Felicity Buchan
I published my response to the Independent Review into West London Flooding, which you can read here: Felicity Buchan Updates Residents on Flood Review | Felicity Buchan. I also convened a meeting with Thames Water, the Council and Ofwat for residents to put their questions directly to senior executives from those organisations. I was pleased to see nearly 100 residents attend with really important issues, and for a number of those to receive flood resilience evaluations as a result.
Since the flooding, Thames Water has installed some non-return valves (NRV) and flooding local improvement projects (FLIPs) in addition to several sewer flaps to protect the most affected properties in Kensington with more planned next year.
But this doesn't go far enough. Thames Water has only identified some 287 properties in Kensington at varying levels of flooding risk. Having received 500 responses to my own flooding survey, the true figure must be higher. That is why I am calling on Thames Water to conduct a more thorough survey of properties in Kensington and expand the availability of NRVs/FLIPs to residents.
I have helped several residents get these devices installed in their homes. So if you believe your home is at risk of flooding and you could benefit from a FLIP being installed to protect your property, please email me at [email protected].
I will continue to fight for you on flooding - please find further articles below detailing my work so far.
