Policy paper

Guildford flood alleviation scheme

Updated 16 May 2025

Applies to England

Introduction

The Environment Agency, Guildford Borough Council, and Surrey County Council are working together to find a sustainable flood risk management scheme for Guildford town centre.

The scheme will:  

• reduce flood risk to the town centre
• benefit residents
• keep the city open for business in times of flood
• help maintain Guildford’s thriving economy
• improve the natural environment
• build better connections between Guildford town centre and the River Wey

Guildford has a long history of flooding from the River Wey. Significant floods have caused damage to homes and businesses. They have also disrupted vital infrastructure such as roads and utilities.

The risk of flooding in Guildford will get worse with climate change. It is only a matter of time before we see another serious flood.

We want to develop a sustainable long-term flood risk management scheme that will:

• reduce flood risk
• help Guildford’s communities to adapt to climate change

Working in partnership with Guildford Borough Council and Surrey County Council

Guildford Borough Council are developing plans to regenerate Guildford town centre.

These plans will:  

• enhance the riverside environment and improve accessibility
• make Guildford a more attractive place to live, work and visit

This work has been shaped by extensive community stakeholder engagement.

You can see shaping Guildford’s future for further details.

The proposed flood alleviation scheme will support Guildford Borough Council in their aspirations to meet the current and future needs of the community.

We have also been working with Surrey County Council to make sure the scheme helps to meet:

• the objectives of the Surrey County Council local flood risk management strategy
• wider Surrey County Council objectives

Progress to date

In 2018, we held public drop-in sessions at Guildford Borough Council’s Millmead offices where we shared our early scheme proposals. These proposals included an option to reduce flood risk by putting flood walls and embankments within the north end of the town centre.

Following feedback, the Environment Agency have:

• examined other options to manage flood risk
• looked at how these options might better protect Guildford town centre
• worked hard to find an approach that does not transfer flood risk elsewhere and meets Guildford Borough Council’s aspirations

Working with Guildford Borough Council, we have expanded the areas along the river that could benefit from the proposed flood alleviation scheme.

We held a public information event on 18 April 2024 at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in order to:

• gather your local knowledge and experience
• understand your priorities so we create a scheme that everyone can value and benefit from

We have published our feedback report following the April 2024 public information event. You can view it on our Engagement HQ project page.

We will use this feedback to inform the design of the scheme. We aim to hold our next public information event in early 2025 where we will share more details of the design options for the scheme.

You can find out more about the scheme and the work we are doing in our first scheme newsletter. You can view this on our Engagement HQ project page.

Get involved

We want to understand and consider your views as the scheme progresses.

We held a public information event in April 2024 and have published a feedback report following this event. You can view it on our Engagement HQ project page.

We are holding our next event in February 2025.

Events

You can come along to our public event on Saturday 22 February 2025, 12.00 pm to 5.00 pm at the Electric Theatre, Onslow Street, Guildford, GU1 4SZ.  You will have the opportunity to:

• view scheme materials
• learn more about how the scheme is progressing
• meet some members of the team

If you are unable to attend our in-person event, you can join us online for a virtual event on Wednesday 26 February 2025 from 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm to learn more about the scheme. Sign up here to attend our online event.

You can stay up-to-date by following us on X. You can also sign up to receive future copies of our newsletter by emailing guildfordfloodscheme@environment-agency.gov.uk.

You can find out more about the scheme and the work we are doing in our scheme newsletters. You can view these on our Engagement HQ project page.

Next steps

During 2024, we will work with a range of partners including:

• landowners
• businesses
• communities

This will help us to better understand local requirements and, where possible, build them into the scheme.

We will make sure any proposals will help reduce the flood risk in Guildford while not increasing flood risk elsewhere.

As we develop the scheme further, we will carry out activities that will improve our understanding of the area and its natural environment. These activities include:

• ground investigation
• topographic surveys
• environmental surveys

At the same time, we will look out for opportunities to enhance the natural environment.

The scheme will bring additional environmental benefits to the area.  We are considering whether fish passes should be included at Unstead and St Catherine’s weirs, upstream of Guildford. This will improve fish passage along the River Wey.

We will look at how to sustainably manage surface water flood risk by working with:  

• Guildford Borough Council
• Surrey County Council, the lead local flood authority
• Thames Water

When we collect this information and consider your feedback, we will combine the findings to develop an option that balances the needs of the community.

Timescales and funding

We are now in the appraisal stage of the project, where we will carry out further:

• detailed assessments
• surveys
• engagement

We expect this stage to last at least 2 to 3 years.

Guildford Borough Council and Surrey County Council have already contributed financially to help develop the scheme. The scheme can only be built once funding has been secured. This is likely to use a combination of funding from:

• central government (Grant in Aid)
• Thames Regional Flood and Coastal Committee
• local councils
• others that benefit from the scheme

We will be able to establish scheme costs when we have developed a plan for the scheme.

Temporary flood barriers

We have temporary flood barriers available. We have identified an area around Mary Road and William Road in Guildford where we might be able to use the barriers in the right circumstances. We used temporary flood barriers in December 2019 and February 2020 when flows in the River Wey were high. This helped to reduce flood risk to properties in the area.

Contact

Email guildfordfloodscheme@environment-agency.gov.uk if you want further information or to provide feedback.

You can find more information about the scheme on our Engagement HQ project page.