Flooding has for centuries periodically affected large parts of Kinnerley Parish and nearby Parishes in England and Wales. Some of its effects were engaged with within the Neighbourhood Plan, as recorded on pages 36 to 38 (see under the Planning tab). More recently, as a result of plans that might have increased the incidence of local flooding, the Parish Council set up a Flood Protection Working Group in late 2020 (its terms of reference are below). The group aims to liaise with relevant bodies and organisations to help alleviate the effects of flooding and its members maintain a continued dialogue particularly with the Environment Agency about this. Holistic plans for flood risk reduction for the Severn/Vyrnwy catchment and beyond are awaited from the Severn Vyrnwy Water Management Scheme (SVWMS) and the River Severn Partnership. Assistance with coping with floods and their aftermath once they happen is available via Shropshire Council and the National Flood Forum.
11 February 2021: A Powerpoint presentation was given at a public meeting (via Zoom) of the FPWG showing some of the parameters involved, and recording the effects of the severe February 2020 floods. An expanded and updated version of the presentation is available below.
18 March 2021: Members of the FPWG and others met with Environment Agency staff via Zoom. Notes of that meeting are also available below.
13 May 2021: Members of the FPWG led a very constructive tour, initiated by Owen Paterson MP, to visit and discuss the argaes and other local flood prevention measures with the Environment Agency and local officials. A lot was learnt from knowledgeable locals along the carefully pre-planned route. The "map pack" for that meeting, and notes of the meeting, are available below.
27 July 2021: The floods Minister, Rebecca Pow, visited the area. Through a misunderstanding, FPWG representation was not involved in the meeting. The information pack provided to her, and her subsequent reply, are available below.
16 November 2021: Follow up correspondence with the EA is available below, arising from contact made just before Owen Paterson’s resignation as our North Shropshire MP.
21 February 2022 floods: After these widespread and high floods, disastrous for some, visits to our area were made shortly after by EA staff, by our new MP, Helen Morgan, and by the Lord Lieutenant, Anna Turner. A briefing pack for those last two visits is available below. Subsequently the EA initiated a Crowd Reporter tool via the Severn Valley Water Management Scheme in June 2022 but it is little used.
22 March 2023: A Freedom of Information request was submitted to the EA seeking information about the effect on flooding of the catchments above Lake Vyrnwy and Llyn Clywedog, and EA’s modelling of floods. Their reply, and the overview of their modelling capability, is available below. We continue to engage with them over this.
