Location, location, location

Should we build new homes in the Thames Estuary?

One of the reasons why the Thames Estuary is vulnerable to flooding is because the south-east of Britain is slowly tilting downwards and sea levels are rising so the high tide in central London also rises. There are plans to regenerate the area that is home to 1.6 million people and contains some of the poorest areas in the country. Plans for the area called the Thames Gateway stretches 60 km from East London on both sides of the Thames and the Estuary. Some of the area nearest to the Thames used to be where many industries were based, but since their decline the area now has many empty, abandoned buildings. The Thames Gateway also includes brownfield land, farmland and marshland.

• Download information about the risk of flooding in London.

What's your position?

There are many different opinions on whether homes should be built in the Thames Estuary because of the risk of flooding in the future. You will be given one of the roles below to think about what your position will be on the development of building homes here. You will be making a one minute presentation to say what you are concerned about, then take part in a vote.

• Click on your role (below) for background information.
• Prepare your position on this question – yes or no?
• Be ready to tell the rest of the class what you think.
• You can only speak for 1 minute.

1. Local residents in the East end of London
2. People living in the village of Jaywick (East of London - down the river estuary towards the sea)
3. The Environment Agency
4. The Government
5. Housing developers
6. The Local Authority

Find out more:

• Interactive guides to the places that are affected by the development
• Official Thames Gateway website
• News and current projects from the Thames Gateway partnership
• Flooding in the Thames region

Make your presentation!

See if you can fit all the words below into a 1 minute presentation.

Thames Barrier | Flood plain | Development of new homes | Rising water | Estuary | Cost (sea walls cost £1 million a km) | Storm surge | Riverine system | Property damage | Drowning | Climate change

Have you made up your mind?

Vote YES or NO

• How did you make your decision?
• Who made the most persuasive argument?
• What persuaded you – was it facts or the way someone spoke?

 

Next: Reporting on risk