Homes in Chalgrove to benefit from flood alleviation works

Homes and infrastructure in an area of Chalgrove are set to be better protected from potential flooding, thanks to work being carried out by South Oxfordshire District Council.

The district council is carrying out work to create a new flood relief channel designed to help homes along Mill Lane which have suffered from flooding on a number of occasions, and have been living with the fear of another flood ever since the most recent one in 2014.

The work will see the new 520m long channel created at Langley Field Farm which will help to ensure that water flows away from the residential area when water levels are high or when there’s heavy rainfall.  The new flood channel will allow water to pass through the private land to the west of Mill Lane and re-join the existing flood relief system downstream, well away from local properties.

The project, which is expected to be completed by late October, is being led by South Oxfordshire District Council, with significant financial contributions from Oxfordshire County Council and the Government’s six year flood and coastal erosion risk management investment programme, which is managed by the Environment Agency.  The work is expected to cost just under £149,000.

Cllr David Rouane, Cabinet Member for Housing and Environment at South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “I can only imagine how upsetting and costly it is for residents who experience flooding to their homes, and who then live with the fear that it may happen again, and so I’m sure people along Mill Lane will welcome the arrival of this new flood relief channel. 

“In leading this project, we have worked with Oxfordshire County Council and the Environment Agency to identify the best way of providing long-term protection against flooding in Chalgrove.  We would like to thank them for the financial contribution they have made and enabled to support this important project.

“As a council we are determined to do all we can to tackle the climate emergency, however, unless there is significant and immediate action globally, we are likely to see increasing instances of flooding.  It’s therefore very important that we do what we can now to better protect homes in at-risk areas.”

Cllr David Turner, who represents Chalgrove ward and has campaigned for improved flood protection in the area, said: “I’m delighted to see this work finally taking place.  The new flood relief channel will be warmly welcomed by Mill Lane residents and will provide great reassurance that their homes should be much better protected from now on.”