The Environment Secretary, Steve Reed, today gave the green light to buy land within the area to be covered by the flood defence scheme. This means that construction on one of the biggest such schemes in the country can now begin, and it is due to start towards the end of next year.

The Oxford Flood Scheme would help cope with major floods by working with the natural floodplain to the west of Oxford. The scheme is designed to blend in with our natural environment, increase biodiversity, and create a wildlife corridor with new walking and cycle routes alongside it. New trees, wetland plants, and wildflowers will be planted, and a new stream would be created to link up existing wetlands and increase the floodplain’s capacity. This would help protect over 160,000 residents from the increased risk of flooding with our changing climate.  

Anneliese Dodds, Labour & Co-op MP for Oxford East, said: “Local residents will be relieved that the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme CPO has now been approved. Along with Oxford Flood Alliance, residents, local Labour Councillors I’ve been pushing for this, and welcome this decision.”

Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor Champion, Lord Vallance, said: “Flooding is a risk to both lives, and livelihoods. This scheme will make Oxford more resilient, helping to protect the infrastructure, business premises and homes which all underpin the region’s economy. Our ambitions for the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor can only be met by us stepping up to face challenges like this. Safeguarding Oxford in this way reinforces our work to turbo-charge investment and growth in the city and beyond, as part of the Plan for Change.”

When Labour came into power in July 2024, flood defences were in their worst condition on record. The Labour Government is investing a record £2.65 billion over two years to turn this round and protect homes, businesses, and our crucial infrastructure.

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Notes for editors:

The Environment Agency made a Compulsory Purchase Order for the land, which – as there were objections from some of the landowners – went to a public inquiry. An independent Inspector listened to the objections and to the case for confirming the order and reported her recommendations to the Secretary of State to make a final decision.

With the Compulsory Purchase Order confirmed, the Environment Agency can now exercise its statutory powers to acquire the rights and interests in the affected land. Once this process is complete, construction is expected to start in late 2026.