ONE of the UK's biggest supermarkets could 'throw a spanner in the works' of a £120m plan to protect Oxford from flooding.

The Co-operative has cast doubt on the future of the artificial flood channel designed to reduce the risk to 1,200 homes and businesses across the city.

The supermarket chain Midcounties Co-op surprised those behind the scheme when it submitted an objection to Oxford City Council's separate plans to expand its Seacourt Park and Ride car park off Botley Road.

The supermarket said the council should not expand the car park onto green fields to the east as planned and instead suggested the council could buy or rent a green field to the west – which The Co-op owns – and expand its car park there.

The Environment Agency has said that field is the 'integral' starting point for Oxford's £120m flood alleviation channel, and is planning to use a compulsory purchase order to buy the land at market value.

Peter Rawcliffe, chairman of the Oxford Flood Alliance residents’ group which is helping to plan the flood channel, said he had been taken aback by the Co-op’s intervention.

He said: "I simply couldn’t understand it: The Co-op said this field wasn’t needed [for the flood alleviation works], but it is.

"I would sincerely hope The Co-op can agree amicably and, if it came to a compulsory purchase order, they wouldn’t stand in the way, otherwise it would be a spanner in the works of the whole scheme."

In its letter objecting to the park and ride planning application, The Co-op said: "The Co-op does not accept that its land 'forms an inherent part of the current OFAS’ (Oxford flood alleviation scheme) and even if it were, that would not necessarily preclude it from being used for car parking.

"Moreover, the Co-op doubts that the Environment Agency could use compulsory purchase powers to secure the land."

The two-page letter raises a host of other objections against the park and ride expansion, including that it would harm the green belt.

The Environment Agency told the Oxford Mail it was already in the process of preparing its compulsory purchase order and had been trying to work with The Co-op.

Flood scheme executive, Richard Harding, said: "The land north of Botley Road bridge, which includes The Co-op’s field, is integral to the flood alleviation scheme.

"Our aim is always to work closely with landowners to reach an agreement on our requirements ahead of issuing a compulsory purchase order notice."

Oxford City Council also took issue with much of The Co-op's letter.

Firstly, it said it could not use The Co-op's land for the park and ride expansion because it would not deliver the 650 extra spaces the council wants.

Executive board member for planning, councillor Alex Hollingsworth, said: "The Co-op’s land, which is immediately adjacent to Seacourt Stream, is an integral part of the Oxford flood alleviation scheme, and is therefore not available to use for an expanded park and ride.

"The Environment Agency is planning to lower this field, which will then act to draw water into the scheme."

The land on which the current Seacourt Park and Ride is built is owned by The Co-op, but leased to the council in a 999-year agreement.

The council's planning committee is aiming to make a decision on the Seacourt Park and Ride expansion plan on November 14.

If it gets the go-ahead, it remains to be seen whether the Co-op will fight the planned compulsory purchase of its field for the flood alleviation scheme.

In a statement about the letter a spokesman for The Co-operative, said: "We believe that part of the land could be used for parking and are not convinced that the whole of the site is required for flood alleviation works.

"Extensions to the park and ride have been considered previously by the council and, as part of this work, our consultant engineers considered that there could be dual use of the land.

"We would welcome the opportunity of discussing the possibility of such dual use with the city council and the EA."

In another complication, the EA still needs to find £4m towards the full £120 cost of the flood scheme in order to get a compulsory purchase order granted, and it emerged yesterday that no city businesses have yet offered any money.