An independent, not-for-profit UK advisory and information centre. The Restoration Centre promotes, facilitates & supports best practice in watercourse, river & floodplain restoration & management

PRESS RELEASE RRC’S NATIONAL RIVER RESTORATION INVENTORY (NRRI) AUGUST 2013 Supporting river restoration planning and delivery in the Anglian region

The Anglian region of is home to 58% of the most productive agricultural land in the country. As the driest area in England and Wales, and with more than a quarter of its low lying land below sea level, the region faces a number of environmental challenges. NRRI data indicates that ‘habitat enhancement’ is the primary driver for works carried out in this region with many projects fisheries orientated. Projects increasingly consider the catchment scale approach and a movement towards ‘soft engineering’ and working with natural processes is evident in the flood risk management projects carried out or proposed in the last five years.

Since 2010 the RRC has published several reports providing case specific advice on the opportunities for river enhancement in the Anglian region. This includes the development of a River Restoration Strategy and Plan to provide guidance on bringing the Site of Special Scientific Interest into more favourable condition. Throughout 2013 the RRC has been working closely with staff in the Anglian region to provide support and advice to projects being undertaken as part of the Catchment Restoration Fund.

Restoration of the

River Nar at We are currently supporting restoration Narborough (2011) of the in our advisory role which the RRC for Catchment Restoration Fund projects were involved in

Subsequent pages show the distribution of projects in the Anglian region. There is also a summary of Anglian region NRRI data in numbers. ENDS The NRRI provides a unique evidence-based source of river restoration and best practice management information with data collected from over 2000 specific cases in the UK. This collated information, together with in-house expertise and knowledge, enables the River restoration Centre to provide a focal point for knowledge exchange, case-specific advice, guidance and mentoring.

RRC receive contributions from the Environment Agency, Natural England, the Agency, Northern Ireland Environment Agency, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Scottish Natural Heritage and Natural Resources Wales to maintain and update the NRRI. However, we rely on wider support from practitioners, river basin planners and others to stay informed about the latest projects so we can in turn disseminate this to a wide range of audiences. If you have a project to contribute, contact RRC. the River Restoration Centre, Bullock Building, Cranfield Campus, Cranfield, BEDFORD, MK43 0AL. Tel/Fax: 01234 752979 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.theRRC.co.uk An independent, not-for-profit UK advisory and information centre. The River Restoration Centre promotes, facilitates & supports best practice in watercourse, river & floodplain restoration & management

RIVER RESTORATION & HABITAT ENHANCEMENT PROJECTS IN THE ANGLIAN REGION

Proposed projects Completed projects

River Glaven - Cinderella Chalk Rivers Restoration Project The new RRC web map is NOW LIVE! River: Glaven Reach: 500m Completed: 2006 To access the UK project map click here Aspirations: Fisheries – Flood Risk Management - Habitat - Morphology RRC Involvement: Organised Site Visit Case studies Contact Organisation: Conservation Group Click to view Project PDF

The following three case studies are included in the 2013 update of the RRC Manual of River Restoration Techniques. The links to these PDFs have been added, however they are currently being reviewed so not that they may not be the final versions.

River Bure – felling trees into a channel to create flow diversity River: Yare Tributary: Bure Reach: 300m Completed: 2008 Aspirations: Fisheries – Habitat - Morphology Contact Organisation: National Trust Click to view Project PDF

Babingley River– restoring an on-line lake to a River: Great Ouse Tributary: Babingley Reach: 500m Completed: 2007 Aspirations: Barrier Mitigation - Fisheries - Habitat – Morphology Contact Organisation: Environment Agency Click to view Project PDF

River Little Ouse – reconnecting remnant meanders River: Great Ouse Tributary: Little Ouse Reach: 900m Completed: 1994 Aspirations: Fisheries - Flood Risk Management - Habitat - Watch out for further reviews of NRRI data Landscape - Morphology in other UK regions in future issues. Last Contact Organisation: British Trust for Ornithology month we focused on North West England Click to view Project PDF

the River Restoration Centre, Bullock Building, Cranfield Campus, Cranfield, BEDFORD, MK43 0AL. Tel/Fax: 01234 752979 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.theRRC.co.uk An independent, not-for-profit UK advisory and information centre. The River Restoration Centre promotes, facilitates & supports best practice in watercourse, river & floodplain restoration & management

THE ANGLIAN REGION: IN NUMBERS

210 PROJECTS (TOTAL) where: 48% Completed (Without monitoring) 23% Completed (With monitoring) 13% Proposed 16% Other; including restoration strategies, visions and projects in-construction

>134 KM WATERCOURSE IMPROVED based on completed projects (circa. 75% have data on length)

>£8 MILLION SPENT ON RESTORATION based on completed projects excluding flood alleviation schemes (circa. 75% have cost data)

2% 1% 1% Bank erosion

13% 17% Community demand 3% 8% Development gain Fisheries Flood defence Habitat 51% 80% Landsape Navigation

12% Opportunistic Pollution mitigation

Pie chart illustrating the aspirations of restoration projects in the Anglian region as a % - note each NRRI project may have more than one aspiration.

50

40

30

20

completed 10

% of Anglian regionprojects 0 Pre 1995 1995-1999 2000-2004 2005-2009 2009-2012 Almost 50% of completed projects in the Anglian region have been delivered since 2009 (circa. 90% of completed NRRI projects in the Anglian region have a stated end date). the River Restoration Centre, Bullock Building, Cranfield Campus, Cranfield, BEDFORD, MK43 0AL. Tel/Fax: 01234 752979 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.theRRC.co.uk