Graham will create the 5km long scheme, consisting of a new stream and wetland wildlife corridor to the west of Oxford city centre, running from just north of Botley Road south to Kennington, where it will rejoin the River Thames.
The scheme will involve lowering parts of the floodplain to create the new stream and building new flood walls and embankments in some areas. When water levels in the River Thames and other existing streams are high, water will overflow from the new stream and start to fill the lowered floodplain next to it.
These measures aim to reduce the frequency of flooding by creating more space for water within the existing western floodplain of the city.
This work targets flood risk reduction, while protecting the railway, local roads and key utilities including broadband infrastructure.
It will also bring additional environmental benefits, including creating more than 20 hectares of valuable new wetland habitat which will link up existing wildlife sites, and approximately 16 hectares of floodplain meadow.
The newly created channel will carry excess flow from the nearby Seacourt, Bulstake and Hinksey Streams during floods, reducing water levels in the main river and cutting the frequency of flooding in built-up areas.
The works also include new flood embankments and walls, culverts, bridges and flood gates. Removal of Towles Mill weir, a historic river barrier on the Seacourt Stream, will allow fish to move freely through Oxford's waterways for the first time in more than a century.
The scheme has the support of a broad partnership including the Environment Agency, Oxfordshire County Council, Oxford City Council, the University of Oxford, Thames Water and National Highways.
Construction is expected to begin in 2027 and will take up to five years to complete.
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