]> 2026-04-19T23:10:02+00:00 Case study:Restoring the River Mease Catchment 500 en Draft Approved Trent Rivers Trust Environment Agency Natural England Catchment Sensitive Farming North West Leciestershire District Council South Derbyshire District Council Lichfield District Council Leicestershire County Council Derbyshire County Council Staffordshire County Council Great Britain Local Planning Authorities Natural England The Environment Agency Yes Yes Yes Engagement and collaboration is key. We are restoring and rivers, and finding places to protect nature within a farmed landscape. The concept is unfamiliar to many landowners and stakeholders. Naturally functioning rivers that are connected to their floodplain create habitats, store water and trap pollution. Yet they take up space, especially when in flood. Farmers and landowners in the Mease historically would farm right up to the bank top, and are reluctant to lose productive land. It can take several years for a farmer to agree to a scheme. It needs to blend into their wider farmer management, utilising buffers, margins and field corners. It might include areas that lie wet. Schemes are best secured with a grant such as a Countryside Stewardship Scheme or Sustainable Farm Incentive. Allow time to talk to the farmer / landowner. Look at the site from the landowners' perspective, understand where they are able to amend their management, and what grant revenue might offset any production losses. Survey for ecology, archaeology and services, they all can have a big influence on how a scheme can take shape. Present plans to the farmer at an early stage. Look for wider benefits in addition to river restoration, such as trapping pollution or flood storage. Engage with the regulatory bodies early, such as the Lead Local Flood Authority or the Environment Agency. It can take time to get the permissions in place. The best time for capital works is June to September, outside of bird breeding season, the fish spawning season and when river levels and flood risk is low. Talk to a contractor early, get an indication of price. Make sure your funder is aware of the constraints and timeline. Allow some extra budget for contingency. Usually something doesn't go quite to plan! 52.70332,-1.52548 Ruth_Needham Ruth Trent Rivers Trust Needham ,, ,,, Monitoring and evaluation is fundamental to all the activities, to help evaluate impact as well as inform future work. The evidence collected includes fixed point photography, invertebrate and species surveys, water quality monitoring, recording of landowner engagement and volunteer activity. A programme of fixed point photography has been carried out across key restoration sites, capturing seasonal changes and fluctuations in water levels. These images clearly show how restored river habitats establish and evolve over time, and they provide valuable material to share with farmers and other stakeholders. Surveys for freshwater aquatic invertebrates at key sites have been able to show how the river is starting to recover, once river restoration has been completed. Phosphate monitoring at intervention sites and on all the major tributaries has helped to evaluate schemes, as well as inform the future targeting of work, including the nutrient neutrality framework. Engagement has been a key focus. We maintain an engagement tracker which helps to strengthen our understanding of landowner and communities’ interests in the methods used. Specific species surveys have been undertaken including White clawed-crayfish, fish and INNS. The evidence is assessed on a regular basis to report the impact, influence future work and raise awareness of achievements. 28827 Catchment Sensitive Farming, Derbyshire County Council, Environment Agency, Leicestershire County Council, Lichfield District Council, Natural England, North West Leciestershire District Council, South Derbyshire District Council, Staffordshire County Council Restored reach of River Mease, showing re-profiled riverbank, vegetated buffer and in-channel vegetation. Mease Meadows 2013-09-02Z 2456537.5 In progress The Mease catchment project demonstrates how coordinated, collaborative action can improve river health, support nature recovery, and sustain food production. The catchment is dominated by high quality agricultural land and supports an active, productive farming community. Ashby and Measham are the main urban centres. In 1998, the river was designated as an SSSI for its small but nationally important, populations of Spined Loach Cobitis taenia and Bullhead Cottus gobio. Like many lowland UK rivers, the Mease had long suffered from habitat loss, flooding and pollution, particularly phosphate, at a time when food production was the priority. Few people, including the farmers, were aware of the Mease, its fish, or the pressures on its wildlife. The SSSI/SAC designation in 2005 opened up funding that supported land use change and management practices that value nature. From the early 2000s, work began to bring farmers and stakeholders together. The early years were challenging; the protected status was unpopular with many farmers. The partnership strengthened significantly after TRT, and the EA came on board in 2013. Since then, landowners have been closely engaged to identify solutions that balance food production with habitat creation and water retention on farmland. The partnership has delivered substantial capital works and extensive engagement. Together we are working towards a genuinely restored catchment where food production is balanced with space for nature. We have demonstrated that rivers can be restored and connected to their floodplain within a productive farmed landscape. Objectives of the Partnership 1. Restore the catchment by balancing land use for food production, nature recovery and making space for water. 2. Deliver nature based capital works across the River Mease and its tributaries. 3. Promote good practice and interventions that trap and store pollution and slow flood flows. 4. Restore the River Mease SSSI to good ecological health. Restoring the River Mease Catchment restoring the river mease catchment http://rivermease.co.uk Tame Anker and Mease Humber River Mease from Gilwiskaw Bk to Hooborough Brook river mease from gilwiskaw bk to hooborough brook 170 10 - 100 km² 185 100 - 200 m Gilwiskaw Brook from Source to River Mease Works have taken place at many locations across the Mease catchment. Capital works have taken place at several sites along the main river and some of the key tributaries. All of the main delivery sites have had monitoring alongside to evidence the work completed, including photography and invertebrate monitoring. Engagement has taken place with farmers and landowners and stakeholders across the entire catchment, seeking to address land use and land management opportunities that trap pollution and naturalise flows, downstream in the main river. Environmental flows and water resources Fisheries Flood risk management Habitat and biodiversity Hydromorphology Land use management - agriculture Monitoring Urban Water quality 100 - 500 k€ 2019-06-03Z 2458637.5 2026-02-20T18:07:29Z 2461092.2551968 2026-02-26T11:13:41Z 2461097.9678357 Restoring the River Mease Catchment 500 1 plainlist 5 [[Category:Case study]] [[Project title::!Restoring the River Mease Catchment]] [[Subcatchment title::Gilwiskaw Brook from Source to River Mease]] Restoring the River Mease Catchment# QUERYc35d391e004863bd3a1827dfbbc8c95f 500 1 list 3 [[Category:Case study]] [[Parent project::Case study:Restoring the River Mease Catchment]] Restoring the River Mease Catchment# QUERYae0985880a3c13aba407518c0b1206bd Case study:Cotom in the Elms 500 en Cotom in the Elms Case study:Edingale 500 en Edingale Case study:Grange Farm 500 en Grange Farm Case study:Gilly Mease Confluence 500 en Gilly Mease Confluence Case study:Yew Tree Farm 500 en Yew Tree Farm Parent project 102 en Parent project