Nature - River Mel Restoration

Nature

River Mel Restoration Group

The last couple of months have seen the River Mel Restoration Group busy out of the river as well as in. We took an information stall to Melbourn Village Fete, as well as being out and about giving talks on our work to local groups. We found that people were particularly interested to hear about the planning and permissions that are required before we can even don our waders.

When we plan a project, we start by consulting with Rob Mungovan, Ecology Officer for the South Cambridgeshire District Council. Then, having outlined a scheme of works that would benefit the river and its dependent wildlife, we set about obtaining consent from all the relevant parties. The group has to draw up detailed scale plans and these, along with full details of the proposed works, are submitted to the Environment Agency in order to gain their formal consent before work can start in or adjacent to the river. An officer from the agency will visit the site to discuss the application prior to permissions being granted. Environmental issues, including flood risk, wildlife conservation, fisheries, and any reshaping of the river and landscape, are all factors that are taken into consideration when they consider granting permissions.

The Environment Agency will not approve works that they believe would harm the environment or would increase the flood risk - even if the works appear to be sound from an engineering or structural point of view. They also promote ‘soft-engineering’ methods of restoration and erosion control, preferring the use of natural materials and natural planting, as are used by our group, to control erosion where practical. Melbourn is very fortunate in having a thriving population of water voles living along the banks of the Mel. These voles are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act, which makes it an offence to disturb or obstruct their breeding and resting places. Consequently, the Environment Agency made it a condition of our consents that we sought advice from Natural England on how to minimise any impact that our works might have on this population. We are pleased to report that their advice has worked extremely well and that water voles have already recolonised the areas where we have been working.

Receiving consent for our plans from the Environment Agency is only the first stage of the permissions process. Even with these consents in place, we cannot carry out any works in or near the river without the permission of the riparian land owner. The term ‘riparian owner’ describes any person who owns land adjacent to, or through which, a river or watercourse passes. New members of

our group frequently express surprise at the fact that neither we nor the public have a general right of access to the river. All riverbanks and the riverbed are owned by someone. The group has had to identify and contact all the relevant riparian owners in order to discuss our plans and to gain their permission both to work in the river and to access it via their banks.

Working Party Dates Saturday 4th September – Meldreth Saturday 25th September – Melbourn Saturday 16th October – Meldreth Saturday 30th October – Melbourn Saturday 20th November – Meldreth Saturday 11th December – Melbourn

All working parties meet at 9.15am for a 9.30am start and we endeavour to finish by about 12.30pm. In Melbourn we meet at the Pavilion on the Recreation Field and in Meldreth at 14 Flambards Close. For further information, please contact info@rivermel.com or telephone Maureen Brierley on 01763 262752.

The RiverCare Community Litter Pick

This will take place in Melbourn on Saturday 27th November from 10am–12 midday. If you have a couple of hours to spare, please meet at the Pavilion on the Melbourn Recreation Field, off the Moor at 10am. Litterpickers and protective gloves will be provided and coffee will be served at the end of the session.

Stop Press

Since submitting our article, a team from the BBC’s ‘Look East’ has visited the Mel to film a piece on water voles, which was transmitted on the 29th July.

Rob Mungovan, South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Ecology Officer, being interviewed by Janine Machin. (Picture credit: Sandra Webb)

New blue wheeled bin

From October 2010, South Cambridgeshire District Council is changing the way it collects your recyclable waste by replacing the existing green box scheme with a blue wheeled bin, which comes with a specially designed inner caddy to keep paper separate from everything else.