All homes, businesses and crucial infrastructure in Oxford at risk of flooding from the River Thames will be better protected thanks to a major new flood defence. Led by the Environment Agency, the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme is one of the biggest flood schemes currently proposed in England.

Aerial photo of Oxford City Centre

The Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme is designed to work with the natural floodplain to the west of Oxford, which will be lowered to increase its capacity. A new stream will be created, fed by the River Thames, meandering through gently sloping grazing meadows. The Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme aims to enhance the natural floodplain to the west of Oxford by lowering it to increase its capacity.

In another step under the Government’s Plan for Change, Environment Secretary Steve Reed gave crucial approval to the Environment Agency and its partners to purchase land and grant rights within the flood scheme area, which has enabled the flood scheme to progress.

The project is part of the Government’s record two-year investment of £2.65 billion to build and repair flood defences across the country.

Floods Minister Emma Hardy said:

“The role of Government is to protect its citizens, but flood defences were inherited in their worst condition on record.

“Through our Plan for Change, a record £2.65 billion is going into building and repairing flood defences over the next two years.

“The Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme is a vital new piece of infrastructure that will deliver economic growth in Oxfordshire, better protect homes and businesses and deliver new jobs.”

Robbie Williams, Project Director for the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme, said:

“We’re delighted to have received approval to progress with purchasing the land needed for the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme to go ahead.

“This is a major step forward for the project, ensuring we can bring this vital flood protection to the city. As we face increasingly unpredictable and extreme weather, the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme is more urgently needed than ever.

“We can now all look forward to starting work on putting the scheme into place.”

The Environment Agency made a Compulsory Purchase Order for the land, which – as there were objections from some of the landowners – went to a public inquiry. An independent Inspector listened to the objections and to the case for confirming the order and reported her recommendations to the Secretary of State to make a final decision.

The new scheme is designed to cope with major floods of a scale Oxford last experienced in 1947. This is far bigger in size than any of the floods Oxford has experienced in recent decades. With a changing climate, it is expected there would be more frequent heavy rainfall leading to potential flooding.

With the Compulsory Purchase Order confirmed, the Environment Agency can now exercise its statutory powers to acquire the rights and interests in the affected land. Once the process is complete, construction is expected to start in late 2026.

Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor Champion, Lord Vallance, commented:

“Flooding is a risk to both lives, and livelihoods. This scheme will make Oxford more resilient, helping to protect the infrastructure, business premises and homes which all underpin the region’s economy. Our ambitions for the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor can only be met by us stepping up to face challenges like this.

“Safeguarding Oxford in this way reinforces our work to turbo-charge investment and growth in the city and beyond, as part of the Plan for Change.

“This follows the earlier good news that Oxfordshire County Council resolved to grant planning permission for the scheme – this decision is separate from the Compulsory Purchase Order.”