River Restoration completed September 2022

Rivers are dynamic natural systems, continually changing and adapting in response to environmental conditions. However, when constrained to fit our built-up environment, rivers can’t function as they would naturally. This can result in problems including erosion of banks and destabilisation of trees by undercutting tree roots, putting people sharing the space at risk from falling trees. Rivers become overwide with slow flowing water that collects deep deposits of sediment and gets too warm in the summer for the characteristic chalkstream fauna . These problems are only exaggerated by our changing climate and greater demand on water resources for public use.

The Wild Trout Trust and its partners designed a series of restoration works that not only improve access to and aesthetics of the river, but improved the habitat in the stream and on the banks for fish, birds and insects (eg dragonflies and mayflies) that support them.

The project was kindly funded under Watercress and Winterbournes project, ‘Resilient Chalk Streams’, itself funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund https://www.hiwwt.org.uk/watercress-and-winterbournes 

The  major works were completed in the autumn of 2022, following approval by the Environment Agency and Natural England. This timing minimised disturbance for wildlife by avoiding sensitive breeding seasons with trout spawning in the river bed from December.

Using natural materials from the local area, the river margins have been built out into the river in places to narrow the channel, meaning the water will move faster and be slightly deeper.

 Sediment that now sits in the channel will move in the faster flows or be trapped in the slower flowing structures (berms) allowing more plants to take hold, reinforcing the banks.

 The area near Station Road where most people like to get into the water to paddle and play has been bolstered with additional gravel to cope with ever increasing levels of footfall.

Access to the river for members of the public is restricted to the area between Station Road and the SSSI sign, just after the second gravel area

Initially the newly created berms look ‘scruffy’ (nature loves scruffy !) – but over the course of a year these structures will trap sediment from upstream and become colonised with flowers and plants from the local seedbed in the existing margins.

To help this new vegetation become established, we  thinned some of the trees that used to keep the area in deep shade – using that material to make the berms. While the vegetation is being established, we do need to protect the most vulnerable areas from being trampled by people and dogs..

The river and the wet woodland at the Kingsclere Road end of the footpath are Sites of Special Scientific Interest, protected under law. The private landowners of the site are responsible for preventing deterioration and damage, so these measures are necessary to maintain the high biodiversity value of this precious and globally rare habitat – while continuing to provide specific access for everyone to see and enjoy this special place. 

The Watercress and Winterbournes funding provided an opportunity to protect an area made even more popular and precious to walkers, following our lockdowns through the Covid pandemic.

We have an information board which will be updated periodically so that all can learn about the unique habitat of a chalk stream.  

Our website will have interesting educational information and updates.

By learning about and caring for nature on our doorsteps now, we will become champions to help preserve our planet's beauty for future generations.