BOTH of Oxford’s MPs have now raised objections against plans to expand Seacourt Park and Ride carpark.

Anneliese Dodds and Layla Moran both warned the expansion on Botley Road could create an unacceptable flood risk.

Labour member Ms Dodds, elected to Oxford East this year, emailed Oxford City Council a list of objections to its scheme made by Oxford Flood Alliance, saying the group made a ‘strong case’ and urging the authority to consider the concerns.

The top objections, she said, were that the entire plan was in ‘clear contravention with national policies... on appropriate development for the Green Belt and flood zones’, and an accusation that the council had ‘failed to properly examine’ the effect the car park expansion could have on the proposed £120m Oxford flood alleviation channel.

She quoted the alliance in saying there was ‘no proven economic demand’ for the expansion and that the plans were ‘contrary to the basic principle of moving large car parks outside the city area’.

Oxford West and Abingdon Lib Dem member Layla Moran said she also had ‘serious concerns’ about the flood risk.

She told the council: "National Planning Policy is clear that development of this nature should not be permitted on Flood Zone 3b land."

Oxford City Council has always said it takes concerns about flood risk ‘extremely seriously’, but has designed the car park expansion to minimise the risk.

It also argues that the new flood alleviation channel will have a major impact on flood risk for the entire city, including the Botley Road.

The MPs are just the latest to make raise objections to the £4m project to expand over a green field next to the current car park to create 650 new spaces.

One of the most serious objections is from Oxfordshire County Council, the highways authority.

The county has said it objects outright to the whole scheme, mostly because it is completely contrary to its own Oxford Transport Strategy to start building new Park and Rides outside of the actual city, at places such as the village of Eynsham, ten minutes away, in an attempt to tackle city traffic problems.

The county’s senior planning officer Amanda Jacobs has told the city in no uncertain terms that expanding Seacourt ‘will worsen congestion on Botley Road and on the Botley Road to A34 link road’.

The city council argues, however, that Seacourt has long been used at maximum capacity, and that, with the new Westgate Centre expected to drawn in hundreds of thousands of extra visitors to the city, a new Park and Ride car park is needed urgently.

The city’s planning department, which hoped to have made a decision made months ago, has now extended its public consultation period on the plans until Friday, December 1.

A meeting to finally make a decision has been postponed again with no new date yet announced.

The public can comment on the plans at public.oxford.gov.uk/online-applications/ using reference number 16/02745/CT3