Oxford’s £2.2 million flood prevention work completed

Oxford City Council has completed flood prevention work in Northway and Marston, protecting 110 homes from flooding.

110 homes are now at a significantly reduced risk from surface water flash flooding as work has now been completed for the Northway and Marston Flood Alleviation Scheme which began in November 2016.

Oxford City Council began the work as Northway and Marston have been hit by flash flooding in the past due to their close proximity to Peasmoor Brook and the Headington Hill Tributary. It can take as little as half an hour of torrential rain to cause flooding of homes in the areas.

The scheme successfully won £1.6 million of funding from the Environment Agency and £600,000 Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership so as to channel torrential rain water into three temporary flood water storage areas, and then release it into the drainage system and waterways at a steady pace.

John Tanner, Executive Board Member for a Clean and Green Oxford, said: “I am thrilled that this flood-prevention project has now been completed by our City Council workforce.

“We know how horrendous it is having your home under water and now it is much less likely that homes in Northway and Marston will suffer from flash flooding.

“Oxford City Council is not the flood authority but we listened to community need and did what needed to be done for the good of our residents.

“I would like to thank residents for their patience and support during the construction works and I hope they enjoy the new nature reserves when they open in September.”

Nick Reid, Flood and Coastal Risk Management Advisor at the Environment Agency, said: “We have worked closely with Oxford City Council to secure both technical approval and a combination of government grant and local levy which provides financial contributions to the scheme.

“This work will reduce flood risk to over 100 properties affected by surface water flooding following heavy rainfall and is a great example of delivering a flood alleviation scheme while allowing open space to continue to be used when the storage areas are not holding water.”