A petition to stop Hinksey Meadows being used as a flood channel has been signed by almost 4,000 people.

A new stream could be created through the meadows - which are located to the west of Oxford - as part of the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme.

The £176 million scheme by the Environment Agency, which has been submitted for approval to Oxfordshire County Council, is intended to reduce flood risk in the city.

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It would see a five km stream run from the existing floodplain to the west of Oxford to divert water away from homes, businesses, services, and major transport routes.

It would begin north of Botley Road and end south of the A423 near Kennington, where the new stream joins the River Thames.

However, a petition started by Evelyn Sanderson has labelled the proposed channel as “destructive” and called for Hinksey Meadows to be saved.

She said: “Oxford desperately needs an effective flood scheme but a destructive and ineffective 3 mile flood channel through the rare Hinksey Meadows would wreck the local environment and could cause biodiversity collapse in Oxford’s wildlife corridor. “

Ms Sanderson added that there were only four-square miles of habitat similar to Hinksey Meadows left in the UK.

“The channel would dig up 3 acres of nationally important, ecologically rich floodplain on Hinksey Meadows containing the nationally rare MG4a grassland,” she said.

She also claimed that the meadow held historical and cultural value.

Of the flood channel, she said: “It alters the iconic landscape painted by JMW Turner and celebrated by Matthew Arnold.

“Willow Walk and Hinksey Village are famous for Ruskin and the Diggers who included Oscar Wilde and Hardwicke Drummond Rawnsley, co-founder of the National Trust.

“So, it is arguably birthplace of the modern conservation movement.”

The petition called for alternative ways to stop flooding, including natural flooding solutions to capture water in land upstream.

An Environment Agency spokesman said: “Oxford has a long history of flooding, damaging homes and businesses and closing the railway and major roads into the city.

“The Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme is a long-term solution to help the city adapt to our changing climate and make it more resilient to floods.

“The scheme will also see improved footpaths, a new cycleway and almost 40 hectares of wetland habitat or floodplain meadow we are planning with environmental charity the Earth Trust.

“Flooding can have a devastating impact on communities, and we urge people in Oxfordshire to check their flood-risk and sign-up for free alerts and warnings at www.gov.uk/flood or at Floodline: 0345 988 1188.”

For more information, visit: https://bit.ly/40uGPS4

To access the petition, visit: https://bit.ly/3TYFDUy