THE new chief executive of the Environment Agency has indicated he would like Oxford University to help fund the city’s £120m flood alleviation channel.

In an exclusive interview with the Oxford Mail, Sir James Bevan said the more organisations that support the scheme, the more successful it would be.

The Environment Agency still needs to find £27m funding for the 7km channel from Botley Road to Sandford-on-Thames due to start construction in 2018.

Speaking on a visit to the EA’s Oxford depot on Osney Island, Sir James said: “We would like the maximum number of partners and it is not just about the money.

“If we want the most successful scheme it will be one that is designed by everyone who has a stake in it.

“The more partners we have, including the university, the more successful it will be.”

He said that “part of his remit” was speaking directly to organisations like the university and that he had spoken to a representative yesterday.

Sir James, appointed chief executive in September, also said the EA would have to find ways to persuade farmers to let their own fields flood upstream from Oxford to help reduce the flood risk.

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee chairman Neil Parish proposed in January a policy of paying farmers to let their fields flood to protect towns and cities like Oxford by holding floodwater upstream.

Oxfordshire farmers told the Oxford Mail the idea was “brainless” and short-sighted, saying their fields would be rendered useless for growing crops if they were flooded.

Sir James said: “We have to find ways to incentivise farmers including to hold water on their land.

“There are a whole range of potential incentives including agricultural benefits if we can hold the water there in the right way.”

But he said he was not yet convinced there was sufficient scientific evidence to show that farmers cutting down trees on their land increased flood risk downstream.

Environment Secretary Elizabeth Truss and Flood Minister Rory Stewart both said in the past two months that cutting down trees can increase flood risk because they have the potential to absorb water and slow the flow of groundwater.

Sir James said: “What is the effect of cutting down trees? I would like to see more evidence. There is little comprehensive evidence, but a lot of anecdotal evidence and we do know that when we slow the flow you can reduce the flood risk. I buy the concept that the holistic approach is the right way to manage the flood risk.”

Oxfordshire’s highways authority Oxfordshire County Council said it will today unveil an ‘innovative’ new scheme for keeping Oxford’s roads clear of flood water.

The council says it has developed a new way to pump water off main arteries including Abingdon Road and Botley Road.