The Environment Agency is working in partnership on a new scheme to reduce flood risk in Oxford.
The Oxford flood alleviation scheme will cost around £176m and is one of the biggest flood schemes in the country.
The scheme will work with the natural floodplain to the west of Oxford. A new stream will be created, fed by the River Thames and meandering through its own floodplain.
When the Thames is high, water flowing from the river into the stream will naturally start to fill the lowered floodplain, instead of overspilling from the River Thames into built-up areas of the city.
The new stream will be approximately 5km long, running from just north of Botley Road down to south of the A423 near Kennington, where it rejoins the River Thames. Most of this area is farmland and flood meadow.
Oxfordshire County Council considered the planning application following public consultation on it last year. Its planning and regulation committee has now resolved to grant planning permission although final approval remains subject to the secretary of state at the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, deputy prime minister Angela Rayner.
Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme project director Robbie Williams said: “Gaining the committee’s approval marks significant progress in our ambition to better protect Oxford residents and businesses from the sort of flooding that we have seen in recent years and can expect in the future.”
The scheme partners are:
- Environment Agency
- Oxfordshire County Council
- Oxford City Council
- Vale of White Horse District Council
- Thames Water
- Thames Regional Flood and Coastal Committee
- Oxford Flood Alliance
- Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership
- University of Oxford
- National Highways
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