Case study:Mayesbrook Climate Change Park restoration project
Project overview
| Status | Complete |
|---|---|
| Project web site | |
| Themes | Economic aspects, Flood risk management, Habitat and biodiversity, Hydromorphology, Monitoring, Social benefits, Water quality |
| Country | England |
| Main contact forename | Nick |
| Main contact surname | Elbourne |
| Main contact user ID | User:NickRRC |
| Contact organisation | River Restoration Centre |
| Contact organisation web site | http://www.therrc.co.uk |
| Partner organisations | Thames Rivers Trust, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, Environment Agency, Queen Mary University of London, Natural England, Design for London, Greater London Authority, London Wildlife Trust, RSA (Insurance), SITA Trust, Mayesbrook Park Friends group |
| Parent multi-site project | |
| This is a parent project encompassing the following projects |
No |
Project summary
Introduction
The river restoration project is part of the UK’s first ‘Climate Change Park’ at Mayesbrook in Barking, east London. The project aimed to transform a rundown 45 hectare park into a showcase of how public greenspace can help a community to cope with the risks from climate change; such as increased flooding and higher summer temperatures. The Mayesbrook Climate Change Park was delivered by an innovative partnership of public, private and voluntary organisations. By combining staff, funding and technical resources the partners were able to deliver a project that no one partner could have done alone. Funding received a major boost in 2009 when RSA donated £300,000 to the project through Thames Rivers Trust as a research contribution into natural flood management and reducing flood risk through a low carbon approach. The RSA donation also helped lever in a further £400,000 of funding from the Mayor of London’s ‘Help a London Park’ campaign.
At the launch of the works in March 2011, Richard Benyon the Minister for the Natural Environment at DEFRA said: “The Mayesbrook Climate Change Park is a shining example of the public and private sectors working in partnership. This project will be a great boost for the local communities and the environment. By bringing the Mayes Brook back into the park, planting trees and creating a wetland, this park will provide not only a great space for local people, but also the perfect habitat for wildlife. I look forward to coming back and seeing the progress of this fantastic project in the years to come.” In his speech the Minister also said that the project was showing “how to achieve more for less, which is important in today’s economic climate” and that the project was “good value for money by anybody’s standards”.
What did the project involve?
The first phase of the works has resulted in a significantly improved park in a borough which is one of the twenty most deprived in the UK. The Mayes Brook which formerly lay in a concrete channel has been brought out into the park along its 1.6 km length. This has improved its wildlife and recreational value. A new one-hectare floodplain has been excavated along the restored brook to naturally and safely store the increased floodwater expected in the area in future. In addition, separate Thames Water work to remedy misconnected drains has dramatically improved the quality of the water in the brook. New trees now cover the equivalent of three football pitches, to give shade, help cool the area and provide a home for more wildlife. New footpaths, entrance ways and signage allow the public to better use the park.
Next steps
Phase 2 of the project will be led by Barking and Dagenham Council and will run from 2012 to 2014 and onwards. It is planned to include a café surrounded by a climate change garden of drought resistant plants. A display in cafe will explain how all of the improvements to the park help adaptation to climate change. The display will also help people change their own lives to better cope with climate change impacts. Two polluted lakes in the park will be cleaned up, to better cool the area and to increase wildlife. One lake will have boating restored, with angling reintroduced on the other.
Howard Davidson, Director of the Environment Agency South East, said: “Mayesbrook is already providing valuable lessons about how to plan for climate change, how to do it in partnership and how to spread the cost to make it affordable.”
Monitoring surveys and results
Lessons learnt
Catchment and subcatchment
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Site
| Name | Mayesbrook Park |
|---|---|
| WFD water body codes | GB106037028170 |
| WFD (national) typology | Low, Small, Calcareous |
| WFD water body name | Seven Kings Water |
| Pre-project morphology | Straightened, Over deepened, Artificial channel |
| Reference morphology | Run-glide, Low gradient passively meandering |
| Desired post project morphology | |
| Heavily modified water body | Yes |
| National/international site designation | |
| Local/regional site designations | |
| Protected species present | No |
| Invasive species present | No |
| Species of interest | |
| Dominant hydrology | Flashy |
| Dominant substrate | Bedrock, Gravel, Silt |
| River corridor land use | Parklands garden |
| Average bankfull channel width category | 2 - 5 m |
| Average bankfull channel width (m) | |
| Average bankfull channel depth category | 0.5 - 2 m |
| 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
| Reach length directly affected (m) | 16001,600 m <br />1.6 km <br />160,000 cm <br /> |
|---|---|
| Project started | 2008/01/01 |
| Works started | 2011/03/01 |
| Works completed | 2012/10/31 |
| Project completed | 2011/10/31 |
| Total cost category | 1000 - 5000 k€ |
| Total cost (k€) | 38003,800 k€ <br />3,800,000 € <br /> |
| Benefit to cost ratio | |
| Funding sources | London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, Environment Agency, Thames Rivers Trust, RSA (insurance), Natural England, Greater London Authority, SITA Trust, London Wildlife Trust, DEFRA |
Cost for project phases
| Phase | cost category | cost exact (k€) | Lead organisation | Contact forename | Contact surname |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Investigation and design | |||||
| Stakeholder engagement and communication | 1 - 10 k€ | London Borough of Barking and Dagenham | Ruth | Taylor | |
| Works and works supervision | 1000 - 5000 k€ | London Borough of Barking and Dagenham | Alex | Farris | |
| Post-project management and maintenance | 10 - 50 k€ | London Borough of Barking and Dagenham | Matt | Wilson | |
| Monitoring | 10 - 50 k€ | River Restoration Centre | Nick | Elbourne |
Reasons for river restoration
Measures
Structural measures
| |
|---|---|
| Bank/bed modifications | Recovering connectivity longitudinal and transversal, Recovery of channel morphology, Adding sinuosity, Bank re-grading, Creation of pools and riffles |
| Floodplain / River corridor | Floodplain reconnection, Recovery riparian vegetation, Reconnect and restore historic aquatic habitats, Sustainable urban drainage ponds (SUDs), Excavating floodplain scrapes |
| Planform / Channel pattern | Improvement of channel morphology, Creation of backwater, Reconstruction of a meandering stretch, Reedbed creation to filter outfall water quality |
| Other | |
Non-structural measures
| |
| Management interventions | Fencing, Monitoring strategy |
| Social measures (incl. engagement) | Awareness campaigns, Improved public access |
| Other | Public consultation |
Monitoring
Hydromorphological quality elements
| Element | When monitored | Type of monitoring | Control site used | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before measures | After measures | Qualitative | Quantitative | |||
| Channel pattern/planform | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Improvement |
| Width & depth variation | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Improvement |
| Quantity & dynamics of flow | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Improvement |
Biological quality elements
| Element | When monitored | Type of monitoring | Control site used | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before measures | After measures | Qualitative | Quantitative | |||
| Fish | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Invertebrates | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Awaiting results |
| Macrophytes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Awaiting results |
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
| Element | When monitored | Type of monitoring | Control site used | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before measures | After measures | Qualitative | Quantitative | |||
| Bat Survey | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Improvement |
| Birds, butterflies and dragonflies | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Improvement |
| Habitat mapping | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Improvement |
| Public use | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Improvement |
| River Corridor Survey | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Awaiting results |
| Landscape enhancement | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Improvement |
Monitoring documents
Image gallery
Additional documents and videos
Additional links and references
| Link | Description |
|---|---|
| http://www.theriverstrust.org/projects/water/Mayes%20brook%20restoration.pdf | The Mayes Brook restoration in Mayesbrook Park, East London: an ecosystem services assessment |
| http://cdn.environment-agency.gov.uk/scho0610bsow-e-e.pdf | Environment Agency press release - "The additional benefits of river restoration" |
Supplementary Information
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