Restoration scheme for River Brent (From Times Series)

Restoration scheme for River Brent

8:10am Friday 9th January 2009 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
• Comments(0)

For decades it has been hidden in a network of unsightly concrete channels. but over the coming years the potential of one of the borough’s greatest ecological assets, the River Brent, could once again be realised.

An Environment Agency initiative, announced last week, will see stretches of the river exposed and recovered as a living, breathing home to plants and wildlife.

The agency believes the restoration project will benefit the community and also encourage kingfishers, birds, and the water vole, among others, back to parts of the Brent and its tributaries.

Dave Webb, project manager for the Environment Agency, said: “The big opportunity is going to be around the regeneration of Brent Cross because the river there is really unsightly and doesn’t have a massive ammount living in it.

“The redevelopment creates an opportunity to break open some of the concrete channels. Where that has been done elsewhere in London we have seen wildlife return and there’s no reason why that can’t happen along the river Brent.”

London’s rivers, including the Brent, were covered up, forced underground and paved over as the urban sprawl made its steady advance and Mr Webb said their value to the community has been neglected.

Parts of the Brent and its tributaries, including Dollis Brook, remain in their natural state, but have had the life choked out of them in more built-up areas such as Cricklewood and Brent Cross.

The scheme will see 15km of several of London’s rivers restored by 2015 as a way to not only improve the environment, but also to reduce the risk of flooding in the capital.

Mr Webb said: “With climate change and the increased risk of storms, making rivers into concrete channels and just building higher walls isn’t necessarily the best solution. We need to reestablish flood plains.

“We’ve found that if you naturalise the river it makes it more attractive. So you have the double gain of managing flood risk more effectively and create good quality space for people to enjoy.”

Neil Ireland of the London Wildlife Trust, which is partnering the Environmental Agency in the scheme, said: “Life in parts of the Brent river has been choked out of existence but there are some really good parts, like the Welsh Harp, which has a good breeding bird population, and Dollis Brook.

“The problem is that many people don’t even realise that the river is there. We can show them how lucky they are to have such a resource in an era of climate change.

“They’ll find that with a bit of care they’ll get a really beautiful bit of habitat to enjoy. This is just the start of a long-term vision. We want other local groups to get involved and help us restore the rivers.”

Mr Ireland said other river habitats that have been decimated to the extent of the Brent have recovered up to 90 per cent of their former wildlife due to restoration projects.

He added: “We’ve shown that it can work in London and the Brent can be the same. It will take time, a lot of work and some money but it can be done.”