Case study:River Hogsmill Restoration Project

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Location: 51° 23' 11.74" N, 0° 16' 9.65" W

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Project overview

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Status	Complete
Project web site
Themes	Flood risk management, Habitat and biodiversity, Hydromorphology, Urban
Country	England
Main contact forename	Toni
Main contact surname	Scarr
Main contact user ID	User:Ascarr
Contact organisation	Environment Agency
Contact organisation web site	http://www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/EEBC/
Partner organisations	Epsom & Ewell Borough Council, Rosebery Housing Association, Environment Agency, the Countryside Agency, the Big Lottery Fund, Surrey County Council
Parent multi-site project
This is a parent project encompassing the following projects	No

Hogsmill in flood just following works

Project summary

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River Hogsmill restoration project

Creating a better place to live Reference:SRB06/PR080 Better living place

Completion: 20th July 2006

The completion of a £230,000 improvement project on a section of the Hogsmill Open Space and river near the Watersedge Housing Estate in Epsom and Ewell, has been achieved due to a highly successful partnership.

Local residents teamed up with Epsom & Ewell Borough Council, Rosebery Housing Association, the Environment Agency, the Countryside Agency, the Big Lottery Fund, Surrey County Council, the Royal Borough of Kingston and the Lower Mole Countryside Management Project to achieve the most dramatic and positive results! The project has given a new lease of life to the site delivering improved access, with new paths, a new footbridge and a better environment for wildlife through flood defence improvements to the Hogsmill River.

But the project is not a recent innovation, in 2001 local residents were asked what improvements they would most like to see regarding their local environment and a strong message came back that people wanted improved access along the Hogsmill Open Space and across the Bonesgate Stream. Rosebery Housing Association and the Watersedge Action Group approached Epsom & Ewell Borough Council and the Environment Agency and the Hogsmill Improvement Project was born. This quickly led to the inclusion of other partners and the formation of the ‘Friends of the Hogsmill’; and it was soon realized that such a large area of open space needed many stakeholders who could all contribute – and that’s just what they all did!

To improve access and to ensure good community involvement the Countryside Agency were approached and a successful application for ‘Doorstep Green’ status was made. This resulted in a ‘Big Lottery Fund’ grant of up to £55,000 which has allowed for the construction of a new path running along the whole length of the site with new entrances and seats along the route.

A new Footbridge to replace the existing unsafe stepping stones across the Bonesgate Stream has been purchased using £25,000 of funds awarded by the ‘Living Spaces’ Lottery fund and is due for installation later this month. A culvert and new section of path linking the site of the new bridge to the Watersedge Estate has already been constructed by volunteers from the Lower Mole Countryside Management Project.

The Hogsmill River is an important wildlife refuge and has great recreational value, but was perceived by many as run down and a shadow of its former self. In places it was steep-sided, concrete-lined, crossed by service pipes and strewn with litter. Despite this, the river which originates as a chalk stream in Ewell still provides a home to fish such as stone loach, minnows and bullhead and if nature lovers are lucky, they can see one of the kingfishers which live along the river.

The Environment Agency has contributed £130,000 to restore the river and make it a more visible and accessible area for local residents to enjoy with improvements for wildlife and flood defenses.

Monitoring surveys and results

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The benefits of the Environment Agency river restoration work include:

• An improved river that will attract new wildlife and become a focal point of interest for the local community and which can be used by local schools as an educational resource.
• Creation of a meander and backwater in a previously straightened river, which will improve the habitat for fish.
• The concrete bed protection on the Bonesgate Stream has been removed which will improve the appearance of the river and the local environment for wildlife.
• A restored footbridge to complement the adjacent new footbridge and ensuring continued safe access for residents, including wheelchairs and pushchairs.
• Planting of a wildflower meadow, connecting the existing grassland habitats within the river valley to provide benefits for wildlife and especially butterflies.
• Cutting back trees in the existing woodland, allowing light in for other plant life to grow diversifying the habitat and supporting more animals such as dragonflies.
• Local reaction to the improvements has been very positive

The Hogsmill River is an important wildlife refuge and has great recreational value, but was perceived by many as run down and a shadow of its former self. In places it was steep-sided, concrete-lined, crossed by service pipes and strewn with litter. Despite this, the river which originates as a chalk stream in Ewell still provides a home to fish such as stone loach, minnows and bullhead and if nature lovers are lucky, they can see one of the kingfishers which live along the river.

The Environment Agency has contributed to this project to restore the river and make it a more visible and accessible area for local residents to enjoy with improvements for wildlife and flood defenses.

The benefits of the Environment Agency river restoration work include: an improved river that will attract new wildlife and become a focal point of interest for the local community and which can be used by local schools as an educational resource; creation of a meander and backwater in a previously straightened river, which will improve the habitat for fish; the concrete bed protection on the Bonesgate Stream has been removed which will improve the appearance of the river and the local environment for wildlife; a restored footbridge to complement the adjacent new footbridge and ensuring continued safe access for residents, including wheelchairs and pushchairs; planting of a wildflower meadow, connecting the existing grassland habitats within the river valley to provide benefits for wildlife and especially butterflies; cutting back trees in the existing woodland, allowing light in for other plant life to grow diversifying the habitat and supporting more animals such as dragonflies.

Lessons learnt

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Image gallery

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The River Hogsmill at Watersedge - February 2007

The River Hogsmill at Watersedge - August 2010

The River Hogsmill at Watersedge - October 2009

backwater created by remeander of river

view from a bridge

kingfisher branch

view upstream

upstream photo

openning day

Catchment and subcatchment Select a catchment/subcatchment Edit the catchment and subcatchment details (affects all case studies in this subcatchment) Catchment River basin district Thames River basin London Subcatchment River name Hogsmill Area category 10 - 100 km² Area (km2) Maximum altitude category 100 - 200 m Maximum altitude (m) 192192 m <br />0.192 km <br />19,200 cm <br /> Dominant geology Calcareous Ecoregion Great Britain Dominant land cover Suburban Waterbody ID GB106039017440 Other case studies in this subcatchment: Bonesgate Phase 2, Elmbridge Meadows, Hogsmill River Connectivity Project, Hogsmill Sewage Treatment Works phase 1, Moor Lane Allotments, Three Bridge, Kingston Site Edit site Name Hogsmill WFD water body codes GB106039017440 WFD (national) typology WFD water body name Hogsmill Pre-project morphology Reference morphology Actively meandering Desired post project morphology Heavily modified water body No National/international site designation Local/regional site designations Hogsmill Local Nature Reserve Protected species present No Invasive species present No Species of interest kingfisher (Alcedo atthis), bullhead (Cottus gobio), minnow, stone loach Dominant hydrology Dominant substrate River corridor land use Parklands garden 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 2006/07/20 Total cost category 100 - 500 k€ Total cost (k€) 130,000130,000 k€ <br />130,000,000 € <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 The Environment Agency has contributed £130,000 total cost estimates: Item Base Cost Budget Cost General Clearance £47,200 £56,640 Tree Works £16,000 £19,200 LB Re-profiling £18,900 £22,680 RB Top of Bank Re-profiling £8,600 £10,320 RB Low Level Footpaths Re-profiling £9,500 £11,400 Wildlife Pond £18,100 £21,720 New River Meander £24,500 £29,400 New Backwater £12,000 £14,400 Footpaths (tarmac or similar) – 450m £24,200 £29,040 Footpaths (gravel or similar) - 1930m £44,800 £53,760 Kingston Station Footpath - 200m £44,800 £53,760 Bonesgate Stream Curved Bridge £24,200 £29,040 Playground Bridge £23,600 £28,320 Picnic Area £2,900 £3,480 Lighting £7,000 £8,400 General Planting £10,000 £12,000 Subtotal £403,560 Design and contract administration 15.0% £26,606 Overheads and profit 12.5% £22,172 Adjustment -7.5% -£13,303 Total (rounded up) £440,000 Reasons for river restoration Edit reasons for restoration Mitigation of a pressure Flood risk management Hydromorphology Biology Physico-chemical Other reasons for the project improving a local park Measures Edit Measures Structural measures Bank/bed modifications Floodplain / River corridor Planting, Habitat enhancement, Tree management, Cut back of trees Planform / Channel pattern Creation of meanders, Creation of wooden deflectors, Creation of an island Other Non-structural measures Management interventions Social measures (incl. engagement) Restoration of a footbridge 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 Hogsmill proposal feasibility report Additional links and references Edit links and references Link Description Supplementary Information Edit Supplementary Information