Hammersmith Policy Unit: Thames Estuary 2100
What needs to be done to manage flood risk and adapt to rising sea levels in Hammersmith, one of 23 policy units in Thames Estuary 2100 (TE2100).
Applies to England
Map centred on the Hammersmith policy unit, which includes Chiswick in the west, Hammersmith in the middle, and Fulham in the east. The map extends approximately 2 kilometres (km) to the east and west and 1km to the north and south outside the policy unit boundary. The flood risk layer shows that in most of this area there is a 0.1% or higher chance of flooding each year without the existing flood defences. This risk is reduced by defences.
Description
The Hammersmith Policy Unit starts at Kew Bridge and finishes at Battersea Bridge and covers a large, highly developed urban area, including Chiswick, Hammersmith and Fulham.
The river-facing area includes public parks and walkways, roads and private areas. Public access to the river is not continuous.
The councils responsible for this area are:
- London Borough of Ealing
- London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
- London Borough of Hounslow
- Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Use the Thames Estuary 2100 (TE2100) map to view all the policy units.
Local areas at risk and types of flooding
There is a large area at risk of tidal flooding in the Hammersmith Policy Unit.
This includes:
- a significant number of houses, including many basement dwellings
- schools, offices and buildings
- emergency and rescue services
- utilities
- underground stations
- hospitals
- King’s House Sports Ground, a community sports facility covering 35 acres
The local plan for this area includes affordable housing developments in the flood zone. There are plans to improve pedestrian access between the town centre and the river, as major roads currently restrict this and have an environmental impact.
Other planned key developments include works on the Thames Tideway Tunnel redevelopment in the King Street area and upgrading Livat Hammersmith (formerly Kings Mall) shopping centre. The King Street area is at risk of flooding.
The types of flooding that could affect this policy unit include:
- tidal flooding – when the tide overtops flood defences
- surface water flooding – when heavy rainfall is unable to drain away
- fluvial flooding – when heavy rainfall causes rivers to overflow their banks or defences
- groundwater flooding – when underground water stores (aquifers) overflow
- a combination of these
Managing flood risk in this area
The area is protected by the Thames Barrier and other tidal defences that support it.
There are 8 combined sewer overflows (CSOs) to reduce flooding from urban drainage.
The Environment Agency also uses flood alerts and flood warnings to inform people about potential flooding so they can take appropriate action.
Sign up to receive flood warnings in your area.
Flood risk management policies for this area
Thames Estuary 2100 sets flood risk management policies for each area of the estuary. The policies range from P3 to P5 and outline how we should manage that area’s tidal defences.
In this area, a P5 policy applies to the tidal flood defences.
This means the Environment Agency and our partners need to take further action to reduce the risk of flooding, including upgrading the defences to cope with future sea level rise.
Find out more about flood risk management policies.
Local requirements: who needs to do what
Tidal flood defence owners
By 2050, tidal flood defence owners in this policy unit should:
- work with the council, developers and local infrastructure providers to adapt defences and achieve multiple benefits through proposed development
- work with the Environment Agency to raise defences where required
For further information read outcome 2: improving fixed flood defences.
Local councils
There is currently no riverside strategy for this area. By 2030, councils should work with communities to plan how their riverside will look in future.
Find out more about the riverside strategy approach.
Thames Landscape Strategy team
The Thames Landscape Strategy team based in Richmond Council will work with communities, councils, the Environment Agency and other partners to update the Thames Strategy – Kew to Chelsea.
This landscape vision for the river corridor will include a riverside strategy approach to tidal flood defence upgrades.