We are expecting the County Council to decide on the planning application for the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme in the next few months. This is a major milestone for the project. Here’s a brief reminder of how we got here.

Back in the autumn of 2013 members of the OFA steering group met with the Environment Agency to discuss a list of ten ideas we had proposed for further reducing flood risk in the city. These ideas were additional to the ‘short-term measures’ already implemented following the 2007 floods.

The EA had analysed our suggestions. Some were discounted as the likely benefits were less than the cost, but some of the ideas they agreed would work. Their advice, however, was not to treat these as isolated projects, but to revisit the business case for a larger flood scheme capable of providing a much higher level of protection. The measures we had proposed would be more effective if they were part of such a scheme.

We agreed with this analysis and accepted that a further programme of short-term measures would bring limited benefit. The time had come to look to a more enduring solution.

The floods of January and February 2014 were a timely reminder of the risk the city faced and created the political momentum we needed to get the project moving, including strong support from national government. The plan which grew out of these discussions is the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme.

Large infrastructure projects start high level and become more and more detailed as they pass the hurdles set for each stage. OFAS has been developed in this way, with the output from each iteration subject to consultation, independent scrutiny, and approval by DEFRA and the Treasury. Over the past ten years the scheme has evolved, taking on board many suggestions from individuals and groups. This process has helped ensure the scheme is as good as it can be.

The project design for which the EA is seeking planning permission is the product of ten years of research, design, consultation, review and revision. We’re now at a point where we need a decision. The County Council planning officers have subjected the scheme to rigorous scrutiny. Elected councillors on the planning committee will make their decision, guided by the officers. This is the democratic process for agreeing how we go forward.

We very much hope the Council will decide for the project. Climate change is already increasing risk of flooding, and Oxford urgently needs a flood alleviation scheme.