Case study:Greatham Marsh Restoration

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Location: 54° 37' 58.98" N, 1° 14' 14.75" W

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Project overview

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Status	In progress
Project web site
Themes	Estuary, Fisheries, Flood risk management, Habitat and biodiversity
Country	England
Main contact forename	Matthew
Main contact surname	Rountree
Main contact user ID
Contact organisation	Environment Agency
Contact organisation web site
Partner organisations	Northumbrian Water, The Hospital of God
Parent multi-site project
This is a parent project encompassing the following projects	No

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Project summary

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The Tees Estuary is one of the most heavily modified and developed estuaries in the UK, with less than 10% of the original intertidal habitats remaining. From 1740, large areas of saltmarsh have been enclosed to form freshwater grazing marsh. However, the industrialisation and systematic land take between 1830 and 1970s has resulted in significant habitat loss. It is estimated that the Tees Estuary has lost over two thirds of its intertidal habitat through waste disposal and infilling over the many years of modification, some 3,000ha, or 30km2.

The Greatham Marsh Restoration project is centred on the restoration of intertidal habitat on the low-lying agricultural land near Greatham Village. Historically, the village was on the edge of the marshes but is now inland from the remaining intertidal areas.

The land is currently protected by flood banks constructed in the 18th century and a tidal structure with tidal flaps constructed in 1980 by the former water authority. The alignment of Greatham Beck was rationalised in approximately 1981 when the original meandering tributary was infilled.

The tidal structure was constructed under a licence that expires on 30 November 2029. A condition of the licence stipulates that on the expiry of the Licence, the structure is removed and riverbanks and foreshore reinstated.

This alone would not restore the full extent of natural processes and habitats. The oversized Greatham Beck would become a deep tidal creek and the floodplain would be inundated for long periods of time as a result of historic embankments and ineffective drainage.

So the Project intends to restore the former meandering channel of Greatham Beck and the network of tidal creeks within the floodplain. Areas of higher land within the field parcel are proposed to be managed as grasslands for conservation purposes. Habitats would be allowed to migrate inland as sea level rises.

The project contributes to achievement of WFD objectives by implementing targets for WFD protected sites found within the conservation objectives of the SPA, and mitigation measures for the Tees Estuary water body.

Monitoring surveys and results

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• Water quality improvements

• Biodiversity River Units

• Biodiversity Area Units – including intertidal habitats and with unrestricted inland migration

• Nutrient reduction in Tees catchment subject to Nutrient Neutrality advice from NE

• Climate change through reduced operational carbon emissions and sequestration in habitat

• SPA SSSI improvement – unfavourable declining SSSI Unit die to excess nutrients, SPA objectives to reduce nutrients and restore extend intertidal habitats

Nature based solution through increased river channel capacity

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Catchment and subcatchment Select a catchment/subcatchment Edit the catchment and subcatchment details (affects all case studies in this subcatchment) Catchment River basin district Northumbria River basin Tees Subcatchment River name Greatham Creek Catchment (trib of Tidal Tees) Area category 10 - 100 km² Area (km2) Maximum altitude category 100 - 200 m Maximum altitude (m) 149149 m <br />0.149 km <br />14,900 cm <br /> Dominant geology Calcareous Ecoregion Great Britain Dominant land cover Arable and Horticulture Waterbody ID GB103025076030 Other case studies in this subcatchment: Greatham Managed Realignment Scheme Site Edit site Name Tees Estuary water body WFD water body codes GB510302509900 WFD (national) typology TraC WFD water body name Pre-project morphology Reference morphology Desired post project morphology Heavily modified water body No National/international site designation Local/regional site designations Protected species present Yes Invasive species present No Species of interest Dominant hydrology Estuary Dominant substrate Estuarine mud 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 2024-09-01 Works completed 2025-11-01 Project completed Total cost category 1000 - 5000 k€ Total cost (k€) 40004,000 k€ <br />4,000,000 € <br /> Benefit to cost ratio Funding sources Environment Agency 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 Supplementary funding information partnership funding Supplementary Information Edit Supplementary Information Construction start date – between September 2024 and January 2025 10 months construction phase Construction completion date – between July 2025 and November 2025 Dependent on permission and agreements Marine Licence application submitted January 2024 Planning Permission application submitted April 2024 Landowner Agreement Heads of Terms Partnership Contribution Agreement 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