Currie & Brown appointed to provide consultancy services on landmark River Thames Scheme

8 août 2023

Leading construction consultant Currie & Brown has been appointed by the Environment Agency and Surrey County Council to provide Programme Management and Integrated Project Controls on the landmark River Thames Scheme (RTS).

The River Thames Scheme will be an integrated scheme which responds to the challenges of flooding; creating more access to green open spaces and sustainable travel routes, in addition to encouraging inclusive economic growth, increasing biodiversity, and responding to the dual challenges of climate change and nature recovery.

Currie & Brown will provide Integrated Project Controls services covering Planning, Risk Management, Cost and Change Management, and Performance Reporting. As such, it will play a critical role in ensuring that the scheme uses public funds effectively to deliver on its ambitions.

In addition, Steven Hayter, Director for Infrastructure Project Management at Currie & Brown, has been appointed as Interim Project Management Office (PMO) Lead for the scheme. Steven will be responsible for co-ordinating the inputs from all PMO functions, such as health & safety, project controls, quality assurance, resource management, contracts & commercial and Information management so that the entire programme is working efficiently towards the RTS common goals and objectives.

The new scheme will create more than eight kilometres of new flood channel and increase the capacity of three existing weirs and downstream of the Desborough Cut. This will reduce the flood risk for more than 11,000 homes, 1,600 businesses and key elements of infrastructure in communities that have suffered major floods in the recent past. The channel will be flanked by new areas of public green open space, for recreation and spending time with nature through the creation of a more biodiverse environment.

Steven Hayter, Director for Infrastructure Project Management at Currie & Brown comments: “It is a huge privilege to project manage such an ambitious scheme. Infrastructure’s role in connecting communities and driving economic growth is well known, but this project will go one step further and use investment to support healthier, happier lifestyles and drive environmental benefits. We look forward to applying our multidisciplinary expertise to ensure the project delivers on these aspirations and generates genuine value for our clients and local communities.”

Jeanne Capey, River Thames Scheme Project Director comments: “We welcome Currie & Brown as part of the River Thames Scheme as we work towards this critical period of public consultation and applying for a development consent order. The experience and skills Currie & Brown provide will be invaluable as we seek to make the River Thames Scheme the very best scheme it can be.”