We are in the middle of a QR-funded project aimed at engaging and empowering local stakeholders to monitor key aspects of the water cycle

This initiative aims to bolster flood resilience in an environmentally and socially sustainable manner. Recent events, such as the January 2024 Thames flooding—the most severe since 2014—have underscored the urgency of our project objectives.

We conducted two stakeholder workshops, held at RHUL and St. Mary’s, Staines, involving local resident associations, SME owners, councillors from Runnymede & Spelthorne Borough Councils and Surrey County Council, as well as representatives from the Environment Agency (EA). We plotted areas of severe flood risk on a map, to collect key local knowledge often lacking from flood models and predictions.

We're collaborating with Runnymede Borough Council to secure a lease for a vacant property on Egham High Street. This location will serve as a central hub for ongoing discussions with external stakeholders regarding the intersection between research at Royal Holloway University of London and the local environmental quality

The local area will be equipped with various instruments such as rain gauges and groundwater level sensors, all bearing Royal Holloway branding. Additionally, surveys will be conducted with local residents to gather valuable insights. Our goal is to enrich local understanding of water flow dynamics within the gravel substrate and their role in exacerbating flooding.

We have developed a programme of sustainability teaching at Strodes and Windsor Colleges, which will centre around the geophysical survey work of the project.

We aim to establish a localised, sustainable, and polycentric model for water resources and flood risk governance. Currently, Spelthorne and Runnymede Borough Councils depend on the Environment Agency (EA) as the statutory authority to guide their Local Plans, which in turn dictate all planning and environmental decision-making processes.

This top-down approach is recognised by planning offices as unsatisfactory; we are working with them to embed research outcomes from Royal Holloway in this process.