Dear Editor,
BOTLEY ROAD – THE OTHER END
Oxford residents grossly inconvenienced by the Botley Road bridge saga (OT, 10 September) may not realise that much more disruption is imminent. At least Botley Road may soon be open, and we shall ultimately have an improved railway station. The outcome of the “Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme” (OFAS, 5 km long to the West of Oxford) is far less certain. it will cost far more, and its installation will last far longer.
This white elephant was promoted by two Environment Agency scientists, one an expert on fish and ponds and the other an engineer who did not understand the intricacies of Oxford’s watercourses. Neither appreciated the improvements made to Oxford’s drainage over the past twenty years.
Groundwater movements will ensure that even after the Scheme is completed, say in ten years time, in those winters when the Thames catchment fills, water will still well up in the Abingdon Road, Osney, the Botley Allotments and the Seacourt Park and Ride. After a knife-edge Public Enquiry, OFAS was only passed by a County Council planning committee which had several new members and no chairman for the first half hour. A supressed wildlife report and two erroneous biodiversity estimates did not inspire confidence.
The effects of the Scheme and its economic benefits are difficult to estimate in view of the vagaries of the weather. Long-term disruption to A34 traffic is however, certain.
In view of the probable cost override, its nebulous outcomes, the need to stimulate national investment in house building, and the problems over the Botley Road bridge, let alone HS2, the Andy Burnham government should consider whether building this whole OFAS Scheme in one phase is still a priority.
Tim King
Oxford