Site meeting, West Oxford Inter-Agency Working Party

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At this morning's meeting, from left to right: Nick Hills (OFA), Susanna Pressel (City and County Councillor), Keith Lead (Environment Agency), Paul Kirkley (Oxford City Council) and John Copley (Oxford City Council). Also present were Steve Smith (Oxford City Council) and (taking this photograph) Andy Webber (OFA).

At this morning’s meeting, from left to right: Nick Hills (OFA), Susanna Pressel (City and County Councillor), Keith Lead (Environment Agency), Paul Kirkley (Oxford City Council) and John Copley (Oxford City Council). Also present were Steve Smith (Oxford City Council) and (taking this photograph) Andy Webber (OFA).

7 December 2009

A site meeting this morning successfully settled the operational details for the new flood wall and associated sandbag wall at Bullstake Close. Who will monitor flooding at the wall and the criteria for maintaining or reducing the sandbag wall have been agreed.

Operation of the Penstock valves installed recently by Thames Water, to protect the drains of Earl and Duke Street from inundation from north of the Botley Road, was similarly considered and agreed.

Personnel from Oxford City Council will be given the necessary training for carrying out these operations.

A written plan will be prepared.

OFA Annual Public Meeting, 2009

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3 December 2009

We had a successful meeting on 26 November 2009. Over 80 people attended, from all our areas and including City Councillors, County Councillors and Prospective Parliamentary Candidates. We welcomed Charles Tucker, Vice-Chair of the National Flood Forum who spoke of the work of the NFF, including currently in Cumbria. The Wolvercote Commoners have recently joined the Alliance and we were pleased to have Nigel Walmsley attending on their behalf.

Bottles of “OFA 2009, Special Star Reserve” wine were presented to our new Flood Stars Susanna Pressel and Nigel Bray, who were thanked for all they had done for flooded people in the area. Mary Timbrell, our third Star, could not attend as she was away, but a bottle awaits her return.

The meeting resolved to send a message of support to Cockermouth and Keswick. (This has now been done.)

Members of the Steering Group presented a review of the past year’s achievements, and looked forward to next year.

A lively discussion followed with many contributions from the floor. OFA was thanked by the audience for what it had achieved so far.

Climate change and OFRMS

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1 December 2009

Appalling news from Cumbria. A policeman loses his life. Water 8 ft deep in Cockermouth, bridges and homes destroyed. A 1 in 1000 year flood we are told.

Major adverse weather events seem to be getting more common – global warming, whatever its cause, the alleged culprit.

Oxford, in a flood plain and permeated by watercourses, has no flood defences. Recent renovation of existing waterways, though welcome, will not prevent big floods.

The EA has come up with a plan to give Oxford protection against any flood up to a 1 in 100 year flood. It’s called the Oxford Flood Risk Management Strategy.

There will be concerns about some aspects of the plans. But surely the city of Oxford cannot afford to do without protection against what nature seems increasingly likely to throw down on us? The Environment Agency says that 3600 properties – 3100 dwellings and 500 businesses – could be flooded in an a 1 in 100 year flood. The nearest we have had to that in living memory was in 1947. This would dwarf the floods Oxford has seen in more recent years. 10,000 people could be flooded.

Nigel Bray, new OFA Flood Star

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26 November 2009

Nigel Bray is our new Flood Star. Consulting Engineer to the EA, Nigel has worked on reducing flood risk in Oxford since 2000. During that time he has become well known to many people in the area and gained their respect. He has worked, apparently tirelessly, in developing schemes small and large, has overcome the many obstacles to implementing them, and has kept us informed at evening meetings in various village halls. Nigel has not just done his job, he’s done it well and beyond what might be expected. Typically, earlier this year he put on his wellies, rolled up his sleeves, waded in and shifted concrete bags to help sort out a problem in Kennington. Thank you Nigel.

Clearing Hinksey Stream

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28/10/09 Ready for action on Hinksey Stream
28/10/09 Before: the right hand half is all stream…
02/11/09 Clearing above South Hinksey
02/11/09 Clearing above South Hinksey
02/111/09 After – the result (same stretch as second photo). Thank you EA.
02/11/09 Looking downstream from the same point, needs clearing too. We hope this can be done soon.

2 November 2009

Clearance of Hinksey Stream by the Environment Agency starts near South Hinksey. Improving the flow of water here will benefit everyone upstream, to the Botley Road and beyond.

Clearing Seacourt Stream under the A34 near Wytham

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02/10/09 Seacourt Stream below Wytham: note bank cut back on far side; desilted
02/10/09 silt spread on the field, A34 behind

2 October 2009

Work began a couple of days ago on the Seacourt Stream just below Wytham, where it goes under the A34. The Environment Agency has desilted the stream and cut back the bank immediately above the culvert. We’re told that further work will be done to clear vegetation in the near future.

Kathy Day, Clerk to Wytham Meeting, writes:

‘This is Wytham’s ‘pinch point’ as the water from our part of the flood plain has to flow into the Seacourt Stream, then through the relatively narrow channel under the A34. Our thanks to OFA – and to Nigel Bray, EA, who have listened to the Parish Meeting’s points about this and acted upon them’.

OFA comments:

This work is very welcome. The improvement must maintained by regular maintenance in the future. It should never have been allowed to get into its recent poor state in the first place. Budgets for maintenance need to be substantially increased centrally so the local team can get on with the job. This applies not only here but throughout the Main River system in the area. Good work has been done recently to clear Seacourt Stream below the Botley Road and this is, we understand, to be extended south. Very welcome news but, again, it must be kept clear in future by adequate maintenance.

Temporary barriers for the Hinksey Park area

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22/09/09 Andrew Smith, MP for Oxford East (centre, white shirt) and local councillors came to see the barriers demonstrated
Setting up the barriers
Barrier in place
Now complete with plastic covering

22 September 2009

The Environment Agency demonstrated their new demountable (temporary) flood barriers for the Lake Street / Vicarage Road area this afternoon. The well-attended event showed the barriers being put into place – over 300m in about 1.5 hours. These barriers are to protect houses in Lake Street and surrounding roads which have flooded in recent years.