Category Archives: Meetings

Maintenance – site visit to junction of Hinksey Stream and Hinksey Drain

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Four of us met this afternoon to inspect this important area. Hinksey Stream and Hinksey Drain are designated Main Rivers: the visit today was to the point, south of South Hinksey, at which the Stream goes under the mainline railway and the Drain diverges from it.

As mentioned on our Home Page we are determined that maintenance of the waterways is properly planned for and given high priority, so everything works as well as possible. We want to see riparian owners fulfilling their legal responsibilities to keep waterways clear. We have for years been agitating that this particular area receive attention as it is in an appallingly poor state.

Today’s meeting took this an important step further on. Present were Peter Collins, Environment Agency, Steve Smith, engineer from Oxford City, and Adrian Porter and Peter Rawcliffe from OFA. There was unanimous agreement that extensive clearance of this area is needed as soon as possible. Steve Smith will be checking on the ownership – once this is certain, Peter Collins will work with whoever it is (seems likely to be Oxford City or Network Rail) and the tenant farmer of the adjacent field, to start clearance asap (subject to bird nesting).

These photos can only give an idea of just how very badly looked after this vital area is. We thank Steve and Peter for taking this on and will be supporting them if any difficulties arise.

 

Maintenance meeting

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Peter Rawcliffe of OFA met with Peter Collins of the Environment Agency today. Discussion was to take forward proposals to get riparian owners to undertake maintenance of local waterways.

Ownership maps will be shared;  a site visit was arranged for 19 March to the Coldharbour area of Hinksey Stream where there is serious, longstanding, obstruction; we hope a representative from Oxford City Council will be able to attend too.

Thames Water’s Oxford (sewer) Catchment Study – meeting

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Two of us met with two people from Thames Water today. Thames Water are getting on with the first stages of their Oxford Catchment Study, designed to find out why we get sewer flooding in many parts of Oxford. Some technical studies have already been done, house to house interviews with residents in affected areas will begin quite soon. A dedicated website should be up and running shortly, possibly as early as next week.

We are delighted that this study is happening – Oxford is one of only five places in Thames Water’s area to be having such a detailed study. This is a necessary first stage in, hopefully, getting action to remedy the problems. We are helping in any way we can.

This study will be used, along with other evidence, to guide Thames Water when they consider how much the proposed Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme would help solve sewer problems – and hence, presumably, how much they could consider contributing to that multi-partner scheme.

Thames Water agree how important it is that when new building is proposed that there is adequate prior consideration given, i.e. at the planning stage, to whether the sewer system will be able to cope.

8th Annual Public Meeting

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APM 2014 welcome13 November 2014

Our 8th Annual Public Meeting attracted a good audience, including local politicians. This year we had three guest speakers as well as presentations from OFA on matters concerning local areas.

John Copley and Barry Russell were made OFA Flood Stars. John has expertly chaired the Oxford Area Flood Partnership since its inception in 2007. Working behind the scenes, he and the partnership have achieved a very great deal in this time. Meanwhile, a well known presence in his waders in every recent flood, Barry, from the Environment Agency, is a key figure in managing flooding on the ground. He has also been involved in many of the flood prevention measures taken here in recent years. We are immensely grateful to them both for all they have done, all the hard work and long hours put in. They have made a real difference.

Ben Ward spoke about Oxford Flood Network’s plans to install water level monitors in the Oxford area to provide live information on water levels, to a computer or smartphone, during flooding, on a much more local scale than at present available. This is an exciting prospect and we welcome it. Ben is looking for people who are prepared to have a (compact) sensor device sited, say, in their garden, or other suitable location.

Nick Ross and Matthew Rose presented Thames Water’s plans for a three-year comprehensive survey (already just begun) of main sewers throughout the Oxford area. This is very welcome as there have been many serious problems with foul sewer overflow, especially during floods.

Richard Harding and Barry Russell of the Environment Agency explained the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme. This c. £125 million scheme is intended to reduce the risk of flooding in Oxford to once in 75 years (though some areas may still be affected more often) – assuming that climate change does not conspire to make things worse (as it well may). A lively discussion ensued, which will no doubt be continued elsewhere.

Thank you to everybody who came and for the generous donations to support our work.

Come to our Annual Public Meeting – 13 November

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16 October  2014

Our own Annual Public Meeting is on Thursday 13th November 2014, 7 for 7.30pm, the Demos, Osney Island, Oxford.
All welcome. Come and learn more about the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme and long-stretch maintenance.
Ask us questions, tell us what you think, discuss topics such as upstream storage and delaying run-off. Anything about flooding.

OAFP annual public meeting

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16 October 2014

OAFP annual public meeting this evening at which Thames Water announced news of a £1million+ study of the Oxford area catchment sewers, over the next 2-3 years. This will result in a business plan to take appropriate action. That will then have to be funded. Welcome news, well done all who have worked towards this, not least Oxford City Council and local MPs, but most of all to Thames Water themselves.

An interesting meeting, and well attended, but we missed the open floor question session that disappeared last year; hope it’ll be back next year.

Steering Group meeting

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14 October 2014

Some key points

  • Munday’s bridge – serious problems seem to have arisen in the last few days during attempts to improve the channel profile (which was not created properly in the original project last year). When we are certain of the detail we’ll let you know.
  • OFA will actively support South Hinksey PC’s efforts to ensure that SH should have temporary barriers should flooding threaten this winter.
  • To get talks with landowners on long-stretch waterway maintenance under way asap.
  • The EA plan to clear the obstructions in Hinksey Stream identified on our canoe trip (see 1 October below) soon.
  • We received information from a Jericho resident about trees in the Castle Mill Stream and have liaised with the EA, who aim to clear these soon.
  • We will have a stand at the ‘Flood Fair’ at West Oxford Community Centre on Friday 31October, 2-7pm. Open to all.

 

OAFP meeting

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1 October 2014

OFA attended today’s OAFP meeting:

We asked the EA about progress on our proposals for working with them to ensure that riparian owners maintain the long rural stretches of waterways for which they (the owners) are legally responsible. The EA have prepared an ownership map as we agreed when last we met, so we hope to meet with them again soon.

The problem of flood water (groundwater?) in the back gardens on both sides of Earl Street was discussed. It is hoped  that pumps in two gardens and property-level protection will resolve the problem: OFA and the City Council are working together on it.

OFA’s recent reconnaissance trip by canoe from South Hinksey to Redbridge discovered several serious obstructions, trees and so on. We showed photographs of some of them today and they have been reported to the EA as needing removal.

Meeting with EA

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22 August 2014

Members of the Steering Group had a very helpful meeting with Holly Foreman of the EA. Discussion included progress on the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme; developing a Q & A about this scheme; organising long-stretch maintenance by riparian owners (where progress has been slow).

 

Workshop on flood risk assessment

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22 May 2014

OFA has been invited to send a delegate to a workshop looking at developing a possible new national flood risk assessment scheme. The workshop is being organised by the Environment Agency National Modelling and Mapping team and is being held in London on 4 June. Nick Hills will be representing OFA.