Banbury flood alleviation scheme

Latest news

Construction work resumes on the Banbury flood alleviation scheme immediately after the Easter Holiday. We will be back on site in the week commencing Tuesday 10 April 2012

We made good progress over the summer of 2011. Our contractors will complete the construction work over the coming weeks. Meanwhile the landscaping work will continue later into 2012.

When the work is complete, properties that once had a 20% chance of flooding in any one year will see that drop to 0.5% or a 1 in 200 chance of flooding in any one year.

The scheme is already up and working, although not yet at full capacity. Once completed it will provide protection to more than 440 homes and 70 businesses in the town, Banbury railway station and the Grimsbury water treatment works.

Meanwhile, the Environment Agency is working in partnership with Cherwell District Council to develop plans for a Country Park that will be easily accessible from the town. It will also substantially improve biodiversity and enhance what is already designated as an Area of High Landscape Value  within the Cherwell River Valley.

It is planned to provide a distinctive landscape that both people and wildlife will enjoy. We expect to have more details soon.

• Guide to the Banbury Flood Alleviation Scheme (PDF, 2MB)

Work on the 2.9km-long flood storage area is nearing completion with a newly constructed embankment along its western edge that can be seen from the southbound lanes of the M40, just to the north of Junction 11.

We have raised the level of an 850m section of the A361 by up to 700mm and installed culverts underneath. This will reduce the frequency of flooding on this stretch of road. It will also allow the highways authorities time to close the road if threatened by overspill from the flood storage area.

We have built two flood control structures that, at times of flood, will hold back water flows as they make their way downstream towards Banbury. The water will then be released slowly downstream, greatly reducing the risk of flooding and not requiring staff to operate them.

Within the town, we have completed flood defences at Tramways Industrial Estate, close to Banbury Station that was badly flooded during the Easter 1998 floods. We have built low walls and earth embankments. These will reduce the risk of flooding to industrial units and Banbury United Football Club.

At Wildmere Industrial Estate, an earth embankment has been built to reduce flood risk to low-lying buildings. Here, the motorsport engineering group, Prodrive, have been working alongside us, building their own flood defences that tie into ours.

Background

Banbury flooded badly during Easter 1998 and again in the summer of 2007.

More than 125 residential and 35 commercial properties were flooded in 1998, causing over £12.5 million of damage.

We have already completed the first part of this scheme. The Moorfield Brook Pumping Station was completed in 2003 and protects more than 400 houses in the Grimsbury area. It helped to protect residents from the flooding in 2007.

• Questions and answers about Banbury FAS March 2012 (PDF, 58KB)

New village landmark courtesy of the Environment Agency

Residents in Chacombe now have a new village landmark thanks to a visit to see the work we are doing on the Banbury Flood Alleviation Scheme.

Sue Shepard, Parish Clerk, spotted a large piece of limestone and asked if she could have it for her village. It had been unearthed in the borrow pit that we are excavating while we build a flood storage area next to the Oxford Canal, north of the town. Sue thought it would make a fine commemorative stone for Berry Close, 10 acres of ancient land that has just been given to the village.

The Environment Agency and its main contractors, Morrisons Construction, delivered the limestone to the village. Sue is now organising a bronze plaque for the limestone and a village unveiling ceremony.

Our objective

The completed scheme will reduce the risk of river flooding to more than 440 residential and 70 commercial properties. This will include Banbury Railway Station and Grimsbury Water Treatment Works, to a 1-in-200 year (0.5% chance of flooding each year) standard. The scheme will also include the creation of over 12 hectares of new Biodiversity Action Plan habitat, such as seasonal ponds and wet grassland. There will also be a new circular walk, north of Banbury immediately upstream of the M40.

How much will it cost?

The total cost of the scheme will be £15 million. It is jointly being paid for by the Environment Agency and partners, including Cherwell District Council, Network Rail and Thames Water. The engineering company Prodrive, will also contribute by building part of the scheme on their land.

Spreading the word

You can download copies of our newsletters and press releases below:

• Banbury press release, 5 July 2011 (PDF, 37KB)
• Banbury press release, 24 March 2011 (PDF, 34KB)
• Banbury press release, 17 March 2011 (PDF, 203KB)
• Banbury press release, 14 March 2011 (PDF, 212KB)
• Banbury press release, 10 February 2011 (PDF, 43KB)
• Banbury newsletter, February 2011 (PDF, 223KB)
• Banbury newsletter, November 2010 (PDF, 129KB)
• Banbury press release, November 2010 (PDF, 52KB)