Our fourth Annual Public Meeting was held on 16 November 2011

We were delighted to welcome, as last year, Andrew Smith, MP, County and City Councillor Susanna Pressel and City Councillor Colin Cook. A representative attended on behalf of Nicola Blackwood, MP. Apologies were received from County Councillor Rodney Rose and City Councllor Oscar Van Nooijen. 

Last, but by no means least, about 75 members of the public came, an excellent attendance more than four years after the last flood. Read more.

September 2011

South Hinksey

The Vale of White Horse District Council has installed new culverts under a causeway across afield next to the village. This will keep flood water moving rather than pooling in this field. Thank you to District Engineer Peter Dela.

Dec 2011

New government funding system for flooding

Central government funding is now through a new scheme known as Flood and Coastal Resilience Partnership Funding and run by DEFRA via the Regional Flood and Coastal Committees (RFCCs). The old scheme resulted in ‘all or none’ funding, the new scheme in ‘all or part or none’ - the suggested advantages being to spread funding more widely, to encourage cost reduction and to allow top-ups to central funding from other sources. But see the report on our Annual Public Meeting for how we're affected - very badly so far - and what we're doing about it.

 

Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA)

Oxfordshire County Council  is our Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA). You can download their Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment (PFRA), April 2011, from Publications.

 

 

PPS25

The government wants to rewrite planning guidance - we're concerned that the current guidance (PPS25) controlling building in floodplains may be weakened or lost - so we've contributed to the consultation and written letters to the Oxford Times and our two MPs.

 

Happy New Year! We've plenty of new ideas for 2012. For example:

 

Important improvements have happened since 2007. We think we can help keep them, and everything else, working well by doing regular surveys ourselves. Have a look at this 'work in progress' on our new Maintenance pages.

 

We've written a new guide, After A Flood, to help people straight after a flood. We'll be talking in January to our local councillors and agencies to see if they will partner with us to publish this and help arrange its distribution after a flood.

 

We have heard recently that the new funding arrangements give only 7% of the necessary funding for the EA's big scheme for Oxford. Disappointing, but not a surprise. What it signals loud and clear is that Oxford needs another, less expensive, scheme. We launched our suggested medium-term measures in Building on Success in March 2010. Professor Edmund Penning-Rowsell, OBE, eminent flood researcher and founder of the Flood Hazard Research Centre, said of it at the time "A really sound analysis of the local flooding problems in Oxford, and practical suggestions as to how they might be tackled in a sustainable and cost-effective way."

We will work with the agencies to develop this further. In particular we will put forward proposals to enhance the Hinksey Stream catchment for both flood relief and biodiversity, improving habitat for plants, fish, otters (they are there already) and birds, and making it a more interesting place for the public. We have had informal discussion with potentially interested local parties with only positive responses so far. Watch this space..