Case study:Prologis Midpoint Park river restoration scheme
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Project overview
| 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 |
Project summary
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
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
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).
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Catchment and subcatchment
Site
Project background
Cost for project phases
Reasons for river restoration
Measures
MonitoringHydromorphological quality elements
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Any other monitoring, e.g. social, economic
Monitoring documents
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Additional links and references
Supplementary InformationEdit Supplementary Information
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