Flooding in the area has caused difficulty for the town (Image: Getty Images)
A Surrey town has been named as a site of special scientific interest after it has suffered levels due to rapid urbanisation. Staines-on-Thames is in the Thames Basin and is playing host to several large-scale regeneration schemes from multiple well-known housing developers.
Government plans include prioritising rapid house building – Spelthorne Borough Council, the local authority in the area, has been selling land to generate funds and comply with this. The town is located close to and easily accessible from the M25, or 35 minutes by train from London. Staines-upon-Thames is a market town with a range of shops on its High Street – it’s a peaceful place to live but has caused issues for the town recently.
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Staines-on-Thames is a market town in Surrey (Image: Getty Images)
“As development has started to grow between [Staines Moor] – which is of big importance to us locally – and the River Thames, the site has started to change physically,” Spelthorne Borough Council planning committee chair Michele Gibson told New Civil Engineer.
“The environmental impact has been quite stark and it has had a negative impact on biodiversity.
“I’m on the site at least once a week and it’s so evident that the construction that is happening is causing the negative impact.”
Surrey County Council told New Civil Engineer that it is “well aware” of the groundwater flooding situation in Staines-on-Thames.
Developers are keen to continue on with the plans and it has been agreed that there is not a lot of mitigation available for groundwater .
Due to government plans to build more homes, Staines-on-Thames has undergone rapid urbanisation (Image: Getty Images)
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Some 6.3 million homes in England are located in areas at risk of , according to Environment Agency data published in December 2024.
For Staines-upon-Thames, a Surrey County Council spokesperson said: “As Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) we are aware of in Spelthorne, including Staines upon Thames, and in other areas of the County.
“Groundwater flooding mechanisms in this area are particularly complex with links to high river levels on the Thames and Colne as well as surface water runoff.”
It said Spelthorne Borough Council’s emerging local plan and recently published level one and two flood risk assessments to consider .
The authority also added that the National Planning Policy Framework flood risk from all sources should be considered by the Local Planning Authority when determining a planning application.