Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme • Reducing flood risk • Enabling a thriving economy • Connecting people and the environment Consultation response report Summer 2017 Executive Summary This report provides a summary of the responses of our online public consultation, held between 22 June and 20 July 2017, to obtain public views about detailed design options for the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme. These included the design of new bridges, location of benches and cycle racks and style of information boards. We also asked for information on how people use areas of the scheme that might be impacted by construction, and for general feedback. We held information sharing events before the consultation. We held library events after 22 June to help members of the public access and fill in the online consultation. There were 91 consultation responses in total. We have published online submissions, where permission has been given at: https://consult.environment- agency.gov.uk/thames/oxford-fas-consultation- 2017/consultation/published_select_respondent The consultation responses found that:  Bridge options 2a and 2b were most popular. Many people considered it important that the bridge was sympathetic to the surrounding environment.  Most people were in favour of benches and cycle racks in certain locations. Northway cycle path was most popular for cycle racks and Willow Walk was most popular for benches. However, a few people were not in favour of either and mentioned perceived urbanisation of rural areas.  Information boards were popular. Most people wanted information about plants and animals. A few people commented that the presence of information boards could spoil natural areas.  Key times and types of use were identified for transport and walking routes that are likely to be impacted during construction.  We received some general feedback about the scheme. The main topics were the design of the scheme, the look of the scheme area, preserving archaeology, environmental opportunities and potential impacts, flood risk, construction and opportunities for access improvements. Next steps We will feed responses to the consultation into our detailed design of the scheme, which also considers technical issues, as well as environmental and social impacts. We will submit the final design for planning permission in spring 2018. If we gain full approval for the scheme we plan to start the 3 year construction period at the end of 2018. Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................... 2 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 5 2. Consultation objectives ........................................................................................ 6 3. Consultation process ........................................................................................... 7 Timeline for the consultation ................................................................................... 7 Promoting the consultation ..................................................................................... 7 Online consultation ................................................................................................. 8 4. Consultation responses ..................................................................................... 10 Overview ............................................................................................................... 10 Information about people responding to the consultation ..................................... 10 Bridge design options ........................................................................................... 13 Location of cycle racks and benches .................................................................... 14 Information Boards ............................................................................................... 16 Use of Willow Walk ............................................................................................... 19 Use of South Hinksey A34 junction ....................................................................... 20 Use of fields in scheme area ................................................................................ 21 5. Answers to questions and comments ................................................................ 24 Design of the scheme and other options for reducing flood risk in Oxford ............ 24 The look of the scheme area ................................................................................ 25 Preservation of the archaeology and history of the area ....................................... 25 Environmental opportunities and potential ecological impacts .............................. 25 Flood risk, surface water and groundwater flooding ............................................. 25 Access and safety during and after construction .................................................. 26 Opportunities for access improvement, recreation and education ........................ 26 Other comments ................................................................................................... 27 6. Making use of the feedback ............................................................................... 28 7. Appendices ........................................................................................................ 29 Appendix 1 ............................................................................................................ 29 Appendix 2 ............................................................................................................ 34 Appendix 3 ............................................................................................................ 35 Figure 1: Consultation question – what is your interest in the scheme area? ........... 10 Figure 2: Consultation question – what is your age? ................................................ 11 Figure 3: Consultation question - What is your primary language? .......................... 12 Figure 4: Consultation question - do you consider yourself to have any disabilities which affect your ability to access information about the scheme or to take action to reduce your flood risk? ............................................................................................. 12 Figure 5: Consultation question – what is your home postcode? ............................. 12 Figure 6: Consultation question - Please rank the bridge options in order of preference, with 1 being your most preferred and 9 being your least preferred ....... 13 Figure 7: The most (2a and 2b) and least (1a) favoured bridge options ................... 14 Figure 8: Consultation question - Please indicate your preferred locations for the following features: benches and cycle racks on the 3 labelled footpaths ................. 15 Figure 9: Consultation question - Please rank your preferred style for information boards in order of preference, with 1 being your most preferred and 9 being your least preferred .......................................................................................................... 17 Figure 10: The most (Example 1 and 3) and least (Example 4) preferred style examples for information boards .............................................................................. 18 Figure 11: Consultation question - What type of information would you like to see included? .................................................................................................................. 18 Figure 12: Other suggestions for information board content .................................... 18 Figure 13: Consultation question - Please tell us what times of the day are you most likely to use Willow Walk to help inform our traffic management plan Times of day people use Willow Walk ........................................................................................... 19 Figure 14: Consultation question - How do you use Willow Walk? How people use Willow Walk .............................................................................................................. 20 Figure 15: Consultation question - What times of day would you be most likely to be travelling in and out of South Hinksey? .................................................................... 21 Figure 16: Consultation question - Please use the corresponding letter on the map below to show us which fields you frequently use .................................................... 22 Figure 17: Consultation question - What do you use the fields for? ......................... 22 Comments 1: Example bridge option comments ...................................................... 14 Comments 2: Example comments about benches and cycle racks ......................... 16 Comments 3: Example information board comments ............................................... 19 Comments 4: Example Willow Walk comments ....................................................... 20 Comments 5: Example comments about A34 South Hinksey junction ..................... 21 Comments 6: Example comments about fields in the scheme area ......................... 23 Comments 7: Example positive comments about scheme ....................................... 24 1. Introduction Properties, major roads, railway lines, schools and businesses are at risk of flooding in Oxford. The Environment Agency carries out regular maintenance activities and operates assets to reduce flooding, but many areas still remain at risk. We are working with local partners Oxfordshire County Council, Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership, Thames Regional Flood and Coastal Committee, Oxford City Council, Oxford University, Oxford Flood Alliance and Thames Water on the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme. This will reduce flood risk to homes and businesses in Oxford, as well as to services and major transport routes into the city. The scheme will be approximately 5km long, it will run from north of Botley Road to south of the A423 southern by-pass where it joins the Thames. We will be lowering parts of the floodplain and working on some of the existing rivers and streams that run through it, to make more space for water and reduce flood risk to the city. We will also be building new flood walls and embankments in some areas. We are currently working on the detailed design for the scheme. The scheme has been designed to reduce the impacts from a major flood. Oxford has not experienced a flood of this size since 1947. It will reduce flooding to all properties at risk in Oxford and the damage and disruption from floods seen in 2007, 2012 and 2013/14 would have been significantly less. Approximately 7 million people visit Oxford every year. The scheme will keep Oxford open for business while at the same time reducing flood risk to homes and businesses to the south and west of the city. Everyone who lives, works in or visits the city will benefit from the reduced flood risk to the railway and the Botley and Abingdon roads. There will also be fewer flood related electricity, telephone and internet disruptions to homes and businesses. Over 80 properties will be less likely to experience sewer flooding. We will create at least 5 hectares of new wildlife habitat, improve existing public footpaths and bridges, as well as reducing flood risk. The scheme will help to create opportunities for everyone to enjoy the environment and improve their health and wellbeing. This ambitious project is made possible through central government funding and local contributions. £51million has been raised so far by partners - Oxfordshire County Council, Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership, Thames Regional Flood and Coastal Committee, Oxford City Council and Thames Water have all made contributions. Collectively, this is the greatest partnership contribution made towards a flood scheme in the country. The scheme is expected to cost around £120m. This amount includes the design and construction costs. It also includes money to maintain it during the first 10 years it is operational. As we develop the scheme we will check we are getting the best value for the money we spend, and working in partnership gives us opportunities to do this most effectively. Subject to planning permission and funding, the earliest we expect to start work is the end of 2018 and construction will take approximately 3 years. 2. Consultation objectives We held this consultation as part of our ongoing community engagement strategy to give people the opportunity to share their views on aspects of the detailed design of the Oxford Flood Alleviation scheme. And to collect information to help plan the construction phase. We want people to be involved, wherever possible, in influencing what structures throughout the scheme will look like. We will use this information in our planning application submission and when we produce our construction plan, to minimise disruption. We aimed to make this consultation as accessible as possible. 3. Consultation process Timeline for the consultation We held our consultation from 22 June to the 20 July 2017. Landowners and users We held facilitated workshops for landowners, agents, occupiers and tenants, whose properties are in the scheme area, in winter 2016. We asked for their agreement on which options to include in a public consultation. We kept landowners informed of the consultation dates and information sharing events. Consulting with our partners We met with our partners before the public consultation opened. They responded on behalf of their organisation as part of the public consultation. Environment Agency staff We held internal meetings with Environment Agency staff before and during the consultation period to obtain their feedback and comments about the scheme and design options. Their comments have been taken into account, along with the other formal consultation responses to help decide upon the design options. Promoting the consultation Our original consultation was going to be held in May 2017, we delayed this to June when the General Election was called. The methods we used to promote the consultation are detailed below. Postcards  21,000 postcards delivered to households in the Oxford floodplain in April.  Postcards handed out at our public drop in events.  Postcards available in the town hall and sent to local libraries for display. Posters  96 posters sent to 34 community noticeboards, community centres and libraries.  Posters displayed at Oxford Railway Station and Oxford Town Hall. Social media and online  25 tweets posted about the consultation.  7 tweets from partners and third parties about the consultation.  3 Facebook articles about the consultation.  Link to the consultation posted on our webpage Media  Media event on 20 June including a question and answer session, photo opportunities and a site visit with scheme partners and the Chair of the Environment Agency.  6 articles published in the local press prior to the consultation.  Almost 80 emails containing materials, photographs and general information sent to local newsletters and community groups.  Press release and follow-up articles were published during the consultation.  4 features on BBC radio Oxford during the consultation period Direct emails  Emails with a link to the consultation sent to almost 900 stakeholders to encourage participation and also as a reminder prior to the consultation end date. Public events from October 2016 to July 2017  We promoted the scheme and consultation at a number of public and targeted events leading up to and during the consultation. We advertised these events on social media, via local newsletters, websites and by direct email,  5 pop up events were held in community hubs downstream of Oxford from October 2016 to April 2017.  7 pop up events were held in community hubs in Oxford including local markets, Oxford train station and a shopping centre from January to July 2017.  6 local community drop-in events were held from March to July 2017 to explain what local impacts there might be during construction, to collect information and answer questions about local concerns.  4 public drop-in events were held in locations in central, west and south Oxford in May 2017 to provide an update on the scheme. We spoke to almost 200 people at these events.  3 library events were held in Kennington and Oxford in June to July 2017, to help members of the public complete the online consultation as we recognised that not everyone has access to a computer or is able to fill out online forms.  We spoke to almost 200 people at our May drop-in events. We spoke to an additional 300 people at library and pop-up events held in Oxford during the consultation period. Online consultation At the Environment Agency, we normally hold public consultations online. This ensures a wide range of people can access the consultations and avoids people having to travel to access them. People could fill out the consultation online or download it from the consultation webpage. For people without access to a computer, or who needed assistance filling in the consultation, we held 3 library sessions where the team were available to provide assistance. Hard copies of the consultation were also available. Consultation questions We asked questions on aspects of the detailed design that could be influenced at this stage of the development of the scheme.  We asked people to rank bridge handrail styles in order of preference, give preferred locations for cycle racks and benches, and give ranked preferences of information board style and content.  We asked for information on use of key routes that might be impacted during construction of the scheme.  We provided an opportunity for people to express general views about the scheme. In each section there was also a text box where people could express opinions on each design option element we were consulting on.  The final section included questions to evaluate the interests, age group and location of people to identify how we can improve our future engagement. A balance of open and closed questions were included, to produce both quantitative and qualitative feedback. We compared the questionnaire to previous consultations and tested it on colleagues. A copy of the online consultation questions is included in Appendix 1. 4. Consultation responses Overview We received 91 responses to the consultation, 84 of these were through our online consultation tool, 1 in hard copy and 6 in non-questionnaire format, by email. The results of the consultation questions are shown in section 4 with some example comments. We also offered people the opportunity to give us general feedback. The responses included a number of comments and questions that have a common theme. We have grouped these and provided an answer that covers multiple comments under that subject in section 5. Information about people responding to the consultation The consultation results show that most people were interested in the scheme because they are either living or working in Oxford (Figure 1). Others were interested in the scheme because they are involved in nature, visit Oxford, the history of Oxford, flood risk outside the scheme area, development, footpaths, are allotment holders, river users, a local councillor and walking group members. Reasons people have an interest in the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme 50 45 e 40 l p o 35 e p 30 f o 25 r e b 20 m 15 u N 10 5 0 Own a Live in Work in Have Own land Attend Own a Other home the Oxford family universitybusiness scheme nearby area (tenant) Interest categories Figure 1: Consultation question – what is your interest in the scheme area?