North Marsh restoration update

In October last year, contractors working for Canal and River Trust stripped a huge area of colonised vegetation from the north-west corner of the north marsh, and re-instated and created islands and channels not seen in the area since the 1980s.

Following a two-month break, hydroseeding (a wildflower meadow mix) will take place on the embankment and vehicle track before end of April. And new tern rafts will go in on the northern arm of the reservoir. The building of a new bird screen and boardwalk are due later in the year, followed by the shingling of the northern-most island and the addition of stock fencing that will ultimately shield much of the site from casual intrusion.

Looking ahead, major dredging is planned for both east and north marsh next winter, to remove decades of toxic silt build-up. Funding is in the works. That will be followed by extensive habitat restoration and invasives removal including the stripping and reshingling of Bermuda Island.

We are very much in the middle of the biggest habitat restoration at Brent Reservoir since the 1980s. It is an exciting period. We are proud of Cool Oak’s involvement in it all. Salute to Ben Macmillan at CRT who is driving this through.