Over the last week there have been displays in the Community Free Space windows about flooding. On Saturday there was a chance to talk to people from the Environment Agency about the displays.

The Oxford scheme will work by diverting some flood water across the open flood plain and away from properties which flood at present. The Environment Agency have done their own modelling on the effects downstream to Abingdon, and unusually the VWHDC have commissioned their own independent study of the scheme.

There were also projects being looked at for Abingdon.

A 33.6 meter flood wall, to protect 5 properties at St Helen’s Mill from flooding, should be constructed between May and July 2017.

Options are being looked at for alleviating flooding from the River Ock including a flood storage scheme the other side of the A34.

They have also been looking at deploying temporary defences. The more complex area to deploy such defences is around Tower Close and Meadowside, and they will trying to deploy a section of such defences in the next couple of weeks to get timings and note issues. Some ground work has already been done with residents.

The defences are of the sort that has been already been used at Staines-on-Thames.

Such defences would not deal with a flood of the scale seen in 2007 but could, with with the addition of pumps, protect from smaller floods.

They will also be testing a deployment near the Ladygrove Estate. Then judge this along with other options such as flood storage.

You can find out more about the Oxford and Abingdon flood schemes at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/reducing-flood-risk-in-oxford-and-abingdon.