The new flood alleviation scheme in Banbury, North Oxfordshire reduces the risk of flooding to 440 homes and 70 businesses, including Banbury Train Station and Banbury Football Club.
The £17m scheme protects the town with two large flood storage areas, a new embankment and two flood control structures all holding back water that flows down stream towards Banbury when the river levels are high. A stretch of the A361 trunk road was raised and tunnels installed to let water pass underneath, all works which required considerable co-operation from local land owners.
A new earth embankment was also constructed to reduce the flood risk to low-lying buildings at Wildmere Industrial Estate.
Blakedowns’ involvement was phased over the course of the project and included the installation of habitat scrapes and wetland planting. New paths and woodland planting within the flood storage area, plus hedge and tree planting along the A361 and Wildmere Industrial Estate.
The Oxford Archaeology Trust was involved during excavation works to the habitat scrapes, numerous checks were carried out during the process for endangered species.
Latest phases have seen the installation of 20,000 + woodrow and hedgerow plants within the flood storage area along with installation of deer fencing to the main woodland barrier to the M40 motorway.
Blakedown are extremely proud that all tree stock planted is of British provenance with bio security measures implemented to prevent the import of chalara ash die back disease.
In sum over 12 hectares of wildlife habitat such as seasonal ponds and wet grassland will be established across the scheme.
9 June 2013
