Case study:Prologis Midpoint Park river restoration scheme

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Location: 52° 31' 12.59" N, 1° 45' 42.34" W

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Project overview

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Status	Complete
Project web site
Themes	Flood risk management, Habitat and biodiversity, Social benefits, Urban
Country	England
Main contact forename	Thomasine
Main contact surname	Rudd
Main contact user ID	User:T Rudd
Contact organisation	Cascade Consulting
Contact organisation web site	http://www.cascadeconsulting.co.uk
Partner organisations	Prologis
Parent multi-site project
This is a parent project encompassing the following projects	No

Prologis Midpoint Park River restoration scheme

Project summary

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This river restoration scheme was designed to mitigate three major impacts from the redevelopment of part of Minworth Sewage Treatment Works for development of a business park, ProLogis Park Midpoint. It is an example of how an innovative approach can be taken to multiple problem-solving in development. The site comprised abandoned sludge lagoons that provided habitat for over-wintering birds. It was directly adjacent to the River Tame and was almost entirely within its floodplain. There was thus a need to provide ecological mitigation; to pull back the development area to respect Birmingham City Council’s requirement for a 50m riparian buffer strip; and to provide flood compensation. A river restoration scheme was designed, in close consultation with the Environment Agency, to form a back channel and islands along the Tame (which was canalised and lacked ecological interest in that reach), with an attenuation pond to control runoff. With Birmingham City Council’s approval, this was located within the buffer area, and was sized to provide the required flood storage volume to compensate for that lost to the development. The scheme thus met all the mitigation requirements through a holistic and innovative approach, while minimising the loss of developable land.

Monitoring surveys and results

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The river has adopted a more naturalised channel, with braiding, gravel shoals, small islands and back waters forming over time. This increases the potential biodiversity of this reach, which was previously canalised and fast flowing, with vertical banks. The backwater channel and islands provide suitable habitat for riparian mammals, while the slower shallow waters of the new channel offer a refuge for spawning and juvenile fish. The original bankside willow and poplar trees were retained on the three islands to provide undisturbed habitat, and created deadwood piles on the islands from other trees and scrub that were felled around the sludge lagoons to provide habitat for invertebrates and small mammals. In accordance with the ongoing Wildlife Management Plan for the site, prepared by Cascade, the developer undertakes a regular maintenance schedule, mainly involving removing debris (particularly tyres) dumped upstream and which end up in the back channel. No formal monitoring and evaluation is undertaken although the site is inspected visually to check that the islands remain stable.

Lessons learnt

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This has demonstrated that river restoration can be achieved by private developers as a cost-effective mitigation measure. The construction cost of the scheme, mostly earthworks, was approximately 5% of the total.

We also feel it is important to show that these types of schemes can be delivered effectively by private developers, in close consultation with other stakeholders. This complements other river restoration work being undertaken by the public sector.

Finally, in the process of facilitating development (which assists in economic regeneration) these types of restoration schemes can contribute a range of ecosystem services including supporting services (habitat creation; biodiversity); regulating services (flood control) and cultural services (potential recreation and amenity through riverside walkway; tranquillity; and educational services through being used as a demonstration project).

Image gallery

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Construction of backwater at top of back channel

Construction of back channel and islands

River Tame pre-restoration

Attenuation pond

Back channel and islands

Back channel looking downstream

Downstream end of back channel

Catchment and subcatchment Select a catchment/subcatchment Site Edit site Name WFD water body codes WFD (national) typology WFD water body name Pre-project morphology Reference morphology Desired post project morphology Heavily modified water body National/international site designation Local/regional site designations Protected species present Invasive species present Species of interest Dominant hydrology Dominant substrate River corridor land use Average bankfull channel width category Average bankfull channel width (m) Average bankfull channel depth category Average bankfull channel depth (m) Mean discharge category Mean annual discharge (m3/s) Average channel gradient category Average channel gradient Average unit stream power (W/m2) Project background Edit project background Reach length directly affected (m) Project started Works started Works completed Project completed Total cost category Total cost (k€) Benefit to cost ratio Funding sources Cost for project phases Phase cost category cost exact (k€) Lead organisation Contact forename Contact surname Investigation and design Stakeholder engagement and communication Works and works supervision Post-project management and maintenance Monitoring Reasons for river restoration Edit reasons for restoration Mitigation of a pressure Hydromorphology Biology Physico-chemical Other reasons for the project Measures Edit Measures Structural measures Bank/bed modifications Floodplain / River corridor Planform / Channel pattern Other Non-structural measures Management interventions Social measures (incl. engagement) Other Monitoring Hydromorphological quality elements Edit Hydromorphological quality elements Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Biological quality elements Edit biological quality elements Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Physico-chemical quality elements Edit Physico-chemical quality elements Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Any other monitoring, e.g. social, economic Edit Other responses Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Monitoring documents Upload monitoring documents Additional documents and videos Upload additional documents Additional links and references Edit links and references Link Description Supplementary Information Edit Supplementary Information