GREEN campaigners have hit out at plans for a £123m flood relief channel for Oxford and claimed upgrading and maintaining waterways could be more effective.

The Sustainable Flood Plan Group (SFPG) said the proposed Oxford Relief River – also called the Western Conveyance Channel – was not yet supported by enough evidence and would be too costly.

The group, made up of climatologists, water engineers, academics and conservationists from Oxfordshire, accused officials from the Environment Agency and leaders at Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council of pressing ahead with the plans “as if it is a done deal”.

The measure was proposed after flooding last winter submerged parts of Oxford and its surroundings, prompting a coalition of polticians to call for a radical solution.

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The channel would run from the area around Seacourt park-and-ride off Botley Road to the River Thames at Sandford Lock, and would divert water away from Oxford to stop flooding across the city.

The EA is currently investigating how it could be put in place.

But the SFPG said authorities should instead upgrade and better maintain the city’s waterways, as well as working with farmers to reducereduce run-off of water in areas further upstream.

The calls have been backed by the Oxfordshire Green Party, as well as Oxford Friends of the Earth.

Dr Kate Prendergast, of the Green Party, said: “Everyone is talking about this flood relief channel as if it is a done deal.

“But all we have at the moment is very general recommendations from the Environment Agency, before it produces much more detailed assessments.

“We don’t know if this channel could affect areas downstream such Abingdon and Wallingford either.

“What we need is a proper feasibility report of all the options available to us before anything is decided.”

Dr Prendergast said a short-term way to tackle flooding in areas such as Botley would be to pay for round-the-clock pumping by fire crews when flooding struck.

She added: “Some experts clearly believe that the lack of routine maintenance of Oxford’s and other waterways has also added to the impact of recent flooding.

“Targeted maintenance and upgrading, including at known flood ‘pinch points’ could be as effective as building a new channel.”

The group has also claimed that a similar project to the Oxford Relief River in Berkshire, the £110m Jubilee River, actually made floods worse for residents nearby it.

David Thomas, a chartered water engineer and Oxford city councillor for Holywell, was one expert who contributed to the report.

He told the Oxford Mail: “The number one issue here should be value for money and if you look at the current arguments for the Western Conveyance, that argument has yet to be properly made.

“To do that you would have to show alternatives you could spent the money on.”

Environment Agency spokeswoman Hayley Willoughby said the authority was looking at a number of options, of which the relief channel was just one.

She said: “We are currently gathering the evidence needed to gain Defra, HM Treasury and Cabinet Office approval to deliver a flood alleviation scheme for Oxford.

“There is a significant amount of investigation required to enable the business case to be prepared.

“At present, a channel has not yet been approved or designed.

“We use our permissive powers, granted to us by legislation, to clear watercourses in the highest priority areas.

“Many of these are cleared as part of our prioritised maintenance programme.”

Oxford Flood Alliance chairman Peter Rawcliffe said the SFPG’s claims amounted to “blue sky thinking”.

He said: “You can fiddle around for years with this and that, but most of the smaller measures have already been done.

“We are now at the point where something bigger is needed.”

  • The Oxford Flood Alliance will hold an annual meeting to discuss the city flood relief scheme next Thursday at the Oxford Democrat’s Club, in North Street, Osney. The meeting will start at 7.30pm. Representatives from the Environment Agency will be present

CHANNEL TIMELINE

  • January – EA officials investigate if the Western Conveyance Channel should be considered. Minister for Water Dan Rogerson also tells Oxford East MP Andrew Smith that it would not be ruled out.
  • February – County politicians Oxford East MP Andrew Smith, Oxford City Council leader Bob Price, Oxford West & Abingdon MP Nicola Blackwood and Rodney Rose, deputy leader of Oxfordshire County Council, petition Prime Minister and MP for Witney David Cameron at Downing Street
  • March – PM visits flood-battered areas, including South Hinksey, and says there is a “strong case” for the scheme. Council leaders, government bodies and private firms also hold a summit in County Hall, Oxford, to discuss the proposals. A funding bid is made by the EA
  • April – £12m funding is pledged by the Thames Regional and Coastal Flood Committee
  • July – A further £26m is secured by the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership as part of the county’s Growth Deal. The county council signals this will allow the first stage to go ahead. Potential routes for the channel are considered
  • September – Negotiations begin to obtain extra Government funding

JUBILEE RIVER

FINISHED by the Environment Agency in 2002, the Jubilee River was part of efforts to reduce flooding in Maidenhead, Windsor, Eton and Cookham.

But residents of those areas said it had caused more homes to flood. The EA has always maintained that the scheme has worked as planned.

The SFPO said: “The strength of feeling among residents that the Jubilee channel dumps flood water on them must be taken seriously before similar work is undertaken.”

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