River Evenlode re-naturalisation plan to tackle valley flooding

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 16 Oct, 16:32 · Archive

A scheme to re-naturalise the River Evenlode in Oxfordshire has been proposed to address increasingly severe flooding in the valley.

Plans to re-naturalise a section of the River Evenlode in Oxfordshire have been put forward to tackle worsening flooding that has left the valley acting as a 'sink' for water. The proposal includes building a 'naturalistic landscape bund', water basins and channels to store flood water in a field, away from a Grade II listed building on the river's banks. The scheme also calls for removal of a weir as part of the re-naturalisation process.

The plan has been submitted to West Oxfordshire District Council. A planning statement said that in recent years, flood waters in the valley between Shipton-under-Wychwood and Ascott-under-Wychwood have become 'significantly worse and increasingly frequent'. During flood events, the River Evenlode overtops its banks and the whole valley becomes a 'sink' containing flood water, naturally contained by the valley slopes and artificially by the embankment of the railway line to the north. This channels water into a specific area, and the local geography means flood water rise is fast and can occur with little warning.

How it is being reported

• 'Re-naturalisation' river plan for repeatedly flooded Oxfordshire valleyThe re-naturalisation of a section of River Evenlode in Oxfordshire proposed amid frequent flooding, which has seen a "whole valley" become a "sink".Oxford Mail · 16 Oct, 16:00
• 'Re-naturalisation' river plan for repeatedly flooded Oxfordshire valleyThe re-naturalisation of a section of River Evenlode in Oxfordshire proposed amid frequent flooding, which has seen a "whole valley" become a "sink".Oxfordshire Guardian · 16 Oct, 16:00

In this story: River Evenlode · West Oxfordshire District Council · Shipton-under-Wychwood · Ascott-under-Wychwood · Oxfordshire

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