Graham will build Oxford's £220m flood scheme and the Treasury has approved the business case. But the Environment Agency has dropped its late 2026 start date.

The Environment Agency has picked the contractor to build the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme. It is GRAHAM, a national construction firm. HM Treasury has also approved the scheme’s Full Business Case, which the agency calls a major funding milestone.

Both were announced in the agency’s September 2026 newsletter. The Oxford Flood Alliance reported the news on 11 September, and GOV.UK updated its scheme page on 16 September.

What the newsletter does not give is a date for work to begin. Since last November the agency had said “late 2026”. That line has gone.

What was announced

The newsletter confirms:

  • GRAHAM is the construction partner, appointed after what the agency calls “a rigorous procurement process”
  • HM Treasury has approved the Full Business Case, the final case that the scheme is deliverable, affordable and value for money
  • the cost to the end of construction is now £220 million, to be met from central government money and partner contributions the agency says it has already secured
  • a Local Liaison Group of residents has been set up, and its core members meet for the first time in October
  • Hello Lamp Post signs with QR codes will go up across the scheme area in the coming weeks, so people can ask questions by phone

Some construction trade titles have reported £220 million as the value of GRAHAM’s contract. The agency’s newsletter does not say that. It gives £220 million as the updated cost of the whole scheme until construction ends. It does not publish a contract value.

The start date has slipped

The agency has put a target on the start of work twice in the past year:

  • its November 2025 newsletter said “we anticipate that construction will start in late 2026”
  • its March 2026 newsletter said “we hope construction of the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme will begin in late 2026”, dependent on final approvals

The September newsletter drops the date. It says that for a project of this size “there is not a single ‘construction start date’”. Instead there will be a pre-commencement phase for final approvals and site preparation, then the contractor will set up on site. “We will update you with programme timings when we have more information to share,” it says.

One approval is still outstanding. The next step, the agency says, “is to finalise our planning permission”. Oxfordshire County Council’s Planning and Regulation Committee resolved to grant permission in 2024, subject to a Section 106 agreement on biodiversity and habitat management. The agency’s November 2025 newsletter said it was still working with the council to conclude that agreement. The land side is settled: the Secretary of State confirmed the Compulsory Purchase Order in May 2025 and no legal challenge was made in the six weeks that followed.

Timeline of the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme from planning resolution to contractor appointment

What the scheme is

The scheme is a new stream with a wetland wildlife corridor, about 5km long, to the west of the city centre. According to the Environment Agency’s scheme page, it starts just north of Botley Road. It runs south under the A423 Kennington railway bridge on the Southern By-pass, then rejoins the Thames. Most of the land is farmland and floodplain meadow.

The agency says the scheme will:

  • reduce flood risk to all properties in Oxford currently at risk of flooding from the Thames
  • protect the railway, local roads, utilities and services such as broadband
  • create more than 20 hectares of new wetland habitat and around 16 hectares of floodplain meadow
  • save more than £1.8 billion in flood damage and disruption over its lifetime

It is a partnership of ten bodies, listed on GOV.UK. They include Oxfordshire County Council, Oxford City Council, Vale of White Horse District Council, Thames Water, National Highways, the University of Oxford and the Oxford Flood Alliance, a local flood action group. The Alliance welcomed the news and said it will help with public liaison.

What it means for you

Nothing changes on the ground yet. The agency has not announced any closures or footpath diversions for the works. Before and during construction, the agency says:

  • GRAHAM will give residents a dedicated contact for construction enquiries, to be published in the next newsletter and on the scheme page
  • GRAHAM and agency staff will be out meeting residents across the scheme area over the coming months
  • there will be a recruitment drive for more Local Liaison Group members before construction starts, with details in a future newsletter

You can subscribe for updates on the scheme page or email the team at OxfordScheme@environment-agency.gov.uk. Any road closures tied to the works will appear on our Oxford roadworks and travel page, and planning decisions on our Oxford planning news page.

Separately, the agency notes that the Thames area is in drought. Locks around Oxford are closed between 6pm and 9.30am to save water. Report low flows or pollution on the incident hotline, 0800 80 70 60.