A NEW £100m flood relief channel to protect Oxford could threaten plans to build a new school in the city.

The Environment Agency is consulting about a scheme to build a 2km channel from near the Botley Road to Sandford Lock.

But a report to Oxfordshire County Council warns that if the scheme were to go ahead, it would wreck future plans to create a new primary school at Bertie Place. And the report warns it could also stop any further expansion of the Redbridge park-and-ride.

The officers’ report to the council’s cabinet recommends that the EA’s flood strategy should be supported in principle. But it expresses concerns about the impact on land earmarked for development.

The report says: “The corridor for the new channel affects the site earmarked in the Oxford Local Plan for a new primary school at Bertie Place. However, an alternative site for a new school to accommodate predicted growth in pupil numbers in West Oxford is being pursued through work on the West End.

“If a school site cannot be secured in the West End of Oxford, the loss of the Bertie Place site would be potentially significant.

“The corridor also includes Redbridge park-and-ride site and it will be important that the new channel route does not prejudice any plans for future expansion of the facility.”

The Oxford Local Plan says land for the school was allocated on the Bertie Place Recreation Ground because New Hinksey Primary School, located on a constrained site in Vicarage Road, wanted to relocate to a larger site.

But the site was a potentially controversial choice because it had been formerly used for tipping, with the Local Plan noting that planning permission would only be granted if the city council were satisfied the development would “not cause risk to the school and nearby properties from landfill gas and other contaminants”.

Lack of space for school playing fields on the Bertie Place site would also mean open land to the west between Wytham Street and the railway line would be needed for the school.

The corridor for the proposed watercourse lies within the Green Belt and could impact on public rights of way. But the report by Chris Cousins, the council’s head of sustainable development, argues that it could help “fulfil Green Belt objectives” by creating opportunities for canoeing, boating, fishing, picnicking and outdoor recreation.

The County Hall report also offers cautious backing for the idea of creating a giant storage area on the Thames, near the confluence of the river and the Windrush at Newbridge.

Geoff Bell, pictured, the EA’s area project manager, said: “The exact route of the channel is a long way from being decided and agreed. I can understand, from the point of view of the county council and some landowners, there might be some anxiety about where we will be seeking to put the channel.”