Oxford flood defence scheme gets government backing at a cost of £220m to protect hundreds of homes

From the Newshound archive · first published 19 September 2026.

Ministers have given the green light to the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme, with the Environment Agency signing a £220m contract with builder GRAHAM — up from an initial estimate of £176m. Work is expected to begin in early 2027 and take between three and five years to complete.

The project will cut a new 5km floodwater route west of Oxford, diverting River Thames overflow away from flood-prone areas including Botley and Abingdon Road.

Around 250 homes were evacuated in both 2003 and 2007, and roads were still becoming impassable as recently as February 2026, underlining the scale of the problem.

Local resident Brian Durham called the project "needlessly slow" and said the EA had still not explained its approach to required work at Kennington Bridge.