Broadcaster Bill Oddie has thrown his weight behind the controversial Hampstead Heath dams project, despite being a patron of the society leading the Dam Nonsense opposition campaign.

The wildlife expert and former star of The Goodies told the Ham&High he would not be “toeing the party line” of the Heath and Hampstead Society because he supports the direction taken by the City of London Corporation.

The Hampstead resident insisted that people should trust the advice of the City’s experts and be less resistant to changes on the Heath.

He also believes the £15million project, which would see dams raised by as much as 18ft, is likely to benefit wildlife at the ponds.

“My feeling is that first of all, as regards the safety angle, one really has to trust people on that one,” the 72-year-old said.

“You get opposition where people say, ‘I don’t think it’s necessary’. Unless you’re an expert on flood water management, you have got to accept what the responsible survey has suggested.”

The City of London, which manages the Heath and is currently consulting on the plans, insists the engineering works are required by law to prevent the dams breaching in the event of a catastrophic flood.

The City’s experts say as many as 1,400 people could drown in downstream communities like Gospel Oak and South End Green in the worst-case scenario, but that the planned dam improvements could save about 300 of those lives.

However, the Heath and Hampstead Society, which counts Mr Oddie among its patrons, says the project is the greatest threat the Heath has ever faced and could leave it “permanently disfigured”.

Comedian Alan Davies and violinist Nigel Kennedy are among those who have backed the society’s Dam Nonsense campaign calling on the City to downscale its proposals.

The society is considering launching a High Court legal challenge if the City rejects its pleas.

But Mr Oddie suggested much of the opposition is from people who simply do not want change.

He said: “Unfortunately that attitude comes across often enough. But [the Heath] does change, nature changes it anyway. We can’t say we want it to stay as it is, because it won’t.”

He added: “Having looked at the plans and photographs and artists’ impressions, it seems to me that the intention is in the right place.

“I am most concerned about whether it provides good habitats for wildlife and the plans they have might very well make it better for wildlife.

“Assuming they carry them out as planned, I hope I’m still around to see all this. It seems to me the intention is in the right place and I’m prepared to trust the people doing this.”