Bicester Town Centre – river diversion and reinstatement

Water Environment Limited was commissioned to find a solution to a site constrained by an Environment Agency Main River which had been canalised. A diversion was proposed to allow development o the site and to reinstate the watercourse as a pseudo-natural channel encouraging habitat creation and reducing flood risk.

Key Personnel were involved in all aspects of the project from the initial concept idea, draft designs, negotiations with the Environment Agency, hydrological analysis and hydraulic modelling, preparation of a Flood Risk Assessment, detailed design of the river diversion, application to the Environment Agency for Flood Defence Consent, preparation of construction drawings, and engineering supervision of the construction. The diversion was complete and the waters of the River Bure redirected in early 2011. The new channel offers a reduction in flood risk as a result of increased capacity.