The Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has confirmed that the public inquiry to consider the Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) for the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme will begin on Tuesday 14 November 2023 and run for around 3 weeks.  The inquiry will be held at The King’s Centre, Osney Mead, Oxford, OX2 0ES, and will be open to the public.

There will be a pre-inquiry meeting held on Thursday 21 September to consider how the inquiry will be run, to ensure it is conducted as efficiently as possible. Anyone who has objected to the CPO will be invited to attend.

In its latest newsletter, published today, the Environment Agency says:

‘A CPO public inquiry is standard procedure when objections are received. We welcome this opportunity for an independent inspector to hear the cases for and against the scheme. Following the public inquiry, the inspector will make a recommendation to the Secretary of State on whether or not the CPO should be confirmed. We expect it may take several months before the decision is known. We are confident the scheme as presented is the best option for reducing flood risk in Oxford. We are continuing our negotiations with landowners to attempt to resolve as many concerns as possible before the CPO public inquiry.’