Loved by rockers and royals, Eel Pie Island threatened by flood ruling

Changes in risk status leave residents fearing for Thames isle beloved by Jagger and Bowie

- James Tapper

From Henry VIII to the Rolling Stones, Eel Pie Island has drawn people for centuries, curious about what life is like on a small patch of ground surrounded by the River Thames.

Yet the 100 or so people who live and work on the island believe their unique community is now under threat from the casual stroke of a bureaucratic pen.

Tomorrow planning inspectors will deliver their verdict on a 341-page document that sets out what sort of buildings the London borough of Richmond-upon-Thames requires.

It includes a section on flood risks caused by the Thames, which rises and falls according to the tides. For an hour or so each day, the river floods the Twickenham embankment opposite Eel Pie Island until the tide recedes, as it has done ever since the footbridge on to the island was built in 1957. But the tides do not affect the islanders, whose houses are raised up and protected by flood defence walls.

The islanders say that a change to the local plan will mean that their homes will be classified as being in a flood zone, making it difficult or impossible for them to remortgage their properties or obtain insurance, and businesses on the island will not be able to secure loans against their buildings.

"We've been working with water for hundreds of years here," said Celia Holman, an island resident and committee member of the River Thames Society. "We're the custodians." Walking across the bridge on to the island, she points out the flood defences around every home - thick brick and stone garden walls, and fittings for metal plates that can be slotted into front gates if water levels rise.