SUSPICIONS that digging of a huge channel to protect Oxford from flooding might be delayed have been confirmed.

The team planning the £150m Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme have withdrawn their planning application.

The reason is that the Environment Agency (EA) team now want to incorporate separate plans for rebuilding a bridge that carries part of Oxford ring road at Kennington, but supporters are fearful that it is yet another delay to the construction which was originally supposed to start in 2018.

Oxford Mail:

A map of the planned flood alleviation channel.

The EA wants to build a 5km trench to the west of the city centre which would divert flood waters away from homes and businesses.

Last year, correspondence between different the Environment Agency and Oxford landowners suggested improvements to the Kennington rail bridge might lead to delays in the scheme.

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Now, a newsletter from the project team has confirmed this is the case, though the project’s director has said the team behind it ‘remain dedicated’ to digging the channel.

The March newsletter said the ‘best way forward’ was to withdraw its current planning application so that the new Kennington rail bridge can be designed alongside the scheme.

Oxford Mail:

Some of the bearings under Kennington Rail Bridge.

Oxfordshire County Council has said it needs to rebuild the bridge, which carries the A423 over the railway south of Oxford, because bearings that support it have worn away and there is no cost-effective way of replacing them.

The flood scheme team will now withdraw their planning application, submitted to Oxfordshire County Council in 2018.

They also plan to withdraw a compulsory purchase order for some of the land where the trench will be built.

Landowners of the fields which have been earmarked for the scheme include Oxford City Council, Oxfordshire County Council and the Midcounties Co-operative.

Other applications to change the layout of footpaths and open spaces will also be withdrawn.

Oxford Mail:

Kennington Rail Bridge.

According to the scheme’s architects, withdrawing it and building the bridge alongside the scheme ‘will give clarity for the public, consultees, landowners and the decision makers.’

Project director Joanne Emberson Wines said, “We remain dedicated to delivering a scheme for Oxford that will reduce the risk of flooding for decades to come.

"We are taking the new opportunities presented to us by the bridge replacement to work alongside our partners at Oxfordshire County Council bringing improvements to Oxford.

“We will resubmit our applications once the work to design the new bridge has been completed. We will then know the land use required for the scheme.”

Peter Rawcliffe of the Oxford Flood Alliance said it was disappointing for residents affected by flooding to hear the scheme would be delayed again.

He said: “It is a shame but we have to be patient and wait for it to move ahead again once the details have been sorted out.”

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Dr Rawcliffe added: “The Environment Agency can still do things to help us. They are not completely helpless as there are temporary flood barriers which can be deployed and plans in place in case of emergencies.”

In August last year the Environment Agency, which leads work on the scheme, wrote to the landowners of the fields where the trench will be built to warn them the Kennington rail bridge needed to be solved before it could go ahead.

The flood alleviation scheme’s designers have said they want it to link up with wetlands to the west of Oxford which are used by wildlife.

They have said previously the whole trench could become an artificial river populated by native wildlife.

Construction work on the scheme was originally due to start in 2018.

In its newsletter the EA team said winter storms earlier this year ‘caused many problems and distress.’

But the newsletter added: “During these heavy rainfall events, our incident room was open, our staff were out in communities warning residents, and extra staff were on call 24/7.”