Llandinam Gravels River Restoration Project

The River Severn is the longest river in the UK at approximately 220 miles long. It rises in the Cambrian Mountains and flows through Powys before crossing the border into Shropshire and travelling down to form the Severn Estuary.

The river gravels provide places for invertebrates to thrive and for wading birds to feed and breed. Over 500 species of invertebrates live in exposed river gravels and form the basis of our food chain.

The river is designated for migratory fish species such as Atlantic salmon, sea lamprey and twaite shad whose populations are increasingly threatened.

The project is part of our ambitious river restoration programme in Wales, which aims to restore natural river processes and reintroduce habitat which has been lost due to historic human activity.

We aim to restore a section of the River Severn, approximately 900m long, back to a more natural state.

The project team is made up of multiple disciplines and after reviewing many design options with partners and specialists the preferred option is designed to enable the river to undertake its own natural recovery to a wider multiple channel form. This method encourages the river to use its own natural processes, requiring less engineering.

The scheme will be located to the south of Llandinam village and covers an area of approximately 25 hectares. The northernmost boundary of the site extends to Llandinam car park, the A470 forms the eastern boundary and the southern and western boundaries are within the Llandinam Gravels Nature Reserve.

Our plans include:

• Restoring the historic river channels and gently grading them into the floodplain. This will kick start natural processes that the river wants to take but is currently unable to due to human interventions over time.

• Installing large wood objects in the new and existing channels and the floodplain to encourage more natural, slower movement of sediment across the whole site. At present, sediment movement is exacerbated, increasing erosion as well as sediment deposition, particularly near the village.

As well as providing a host of benefits for nature, the scheme is expected to provide an overall reduction in the speed and erosive power of the river during high flows.

View the display boards presented to the community at our drop in event on 9th September.

December 2024

Following the Llandinam Gravels River Restoration community event in September, where we had great turnout, we have been reflecting on the commentary.

We would like to thank members of the community for taking the time to share their views, their concerns and submitting their queries.

We have taken these on board, and have made a decision to now postpone the project until spring 2026 at the earliest.

In the meantime, we are keen to keep communication open with the community and have therefore updated our project website with some of the general themes that were raised at the event. We will revisit more detailed, specific queries should we be in a position to re-commence the project at a later date.

September 2024

On the 9th September we held a public drop in event to provide an opportunity for local people to learn more about the proposals and to ask questions.

The project team are currently reflecting on the queries we received and will be able to share formal responses in the coming weeks.

View the display boards presented to the community at our event.

May 2024

During 2023, working with our consultants Binnies and CBEC (restoration specialists for the water environment) we have undertaken a number of surveys and investigations to inform the design of the scheme. Some of these include:

• Hydraulic modelling to estimate flow, water level and velocity in river channels.
• Geotechnical desk study to review relevant information regarding the historical, geological and environmental data of a site
• Topographic survey (also referred to as a land or terrain survey), a type of survey that maps the levels, boundaries and features of a site.
• Ecological surveys to assess the presence of invasive or protected species.
• Archaeology report to locate, identify, and record the distribution, structure, and form of archaeological sites in relation to the project area.

An initial concept design for the scheme has been developed, and we are now working to finalise our proposals into a detailed design.

We aim to present our plans to the community and receive feedback in the coming months. We will obtain relevant consents and permissions in order to start construction of the scheme during summer 2025, subject to funding.

River Restoration

How was the design developed?

NRW commissioned a feasibility study to investigate the viability of implementing nature-based solutions to restore natural processes on the River Severn within the Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust Llandinam Gravels nature reserve.

The feasibility assessed four options, ranging from simply stopping gravel extraction through minimal interventions, to active modification of the river channel.

The options were appraised against a range of criteria including expected river restoration benefit, impact on flood risk, influence on amenity value, complexity of construction, cost and maintenance requirements. The preferred option was identified as an outcome of this process.

Are there other examples of this type of project?

There are many successful river restoration projects across the United Kingdom and Europe, examples of these include:

• Branston Beck
• Stonethwaite Beck
• Nant Dowlais
• River Cole
• River Skerne.

We recommend exploring the River Restoration Centre website Which provides a repository of case studies. 

Please also see the below BBC article on a similar project:

How 'rewiggling' Swindale Beck brought its fish back - BBC News

Flood Risk

Will the project reduce flood risk to people living in Llandinam?

The scheme has not been specifically designed to reduce flood risk, however, restoring natural river processes, reconnecting floodplains and slowing and spreading flood flows over a greater area upstream may have associated benefits by managing water levels downstream.

A different NRW project carried out a preliminary assessment which unfortunately found that flood risk management funding could not be justified for Llandinam at that stage.

In a separate scheme, Powys County Council has installed a small earth bund to reduce flood risk to properties in Llandinam.

The extensive studies undertaken have shown that there would be no increase in flood risk to the village as a result of the scheme. It will, however, actively decrease the erosion risk to the right (east) river bank by the road and village.

I am concerned about flood risk at Llandinam. Why is the environment being tackled by NRW before flood risk to properties in Llandinam village?

NRW’s purpose is focussed on tackling the climate, nature and pollution emergencies.

Within this remit, NRW is provided with powers from Welsh Government to deal with flooding.  Unfortunately, a separate feasibility study found that flood risk management funding for Llandinam could not be justified at that stage.

We do understand the community's ongoing concerns and we have shared this feedback with our colleagues.
 
As well as protecting communities from the impact of climate change, one of our other priorities is to help nature recover, therefore this project has been developed from separate funding sources. The restoration of natural river processes is not just about protecting habitats and species; healthy, well-functioning rivers are critical to reduce the risk of other pressures including poor water quality and climate change.

Pursuing this river restoration project, does not take money away from flood risk projects across Wales, which are funded separately.

I understand that a Community Flood Plan can help improve the village resilience to Flood Risk?

More information about flood preparedness, and how to register for flood warnings is available on the NRW website.

Am I able to sign up to the NRW flood warning service without an email address?

There are a number of ways you can receive flood warnings, including by phone, text or email.

Phone Floodline on 0345 988 1188 and when they ask for an email, let them know that you don't have one.

We urge everyone at risk to sign up - so far about half of the 35 properties in the Flood Warning Area have signed up.

Sign up for flood warnings.

Ecology and wildlife

What would the project’s effect be on the plants and wildlife?

Potential impacts on plant and wildlife species have been considered by our environmental team and mitigation would be put in place, including ecological checks pre and during works, and purposefully avoiding areas where specific habitats are present. The quality or flora and fauna would be improved as a result of the scheme, as the habitats will be made more resilient and the ecosystems made more biodiverse.

Could constructing a new channel, installing large woody debris and improving floodplain connectivity increase the optimal habitat for invasives and increase the risk of Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS) reaching properties downstream?

Widely spread Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS) such as Himalayan balsam, Japanese knotweed and American skunk cabbage, are present in the Severn catchment.  These species can spread naturally along watercourses and the floodplain, being transported by flows.  The area where the proposed new channel would be located is currently within the floodplain, therefore the risk is not changed from now (a floodplain) to post-construction (a new channel). NRW is intending to reseed the banks following construction to allow other species to establish, reducing the risk of INNS establishing.

The project proposes the use of large wood to deflect and direct some flow and energy of the river into the new channel and the floodplain, increasing connectivity to the floodplain and improving the form of the river.  Relative to the existing floodplain and the existing river bank, there would be no increase in the risk of INNS establishing due to the large wood structures as they would be frequently submerged and any sediment which catches hold of the wooden objects would still be relatively mobile.

NRW are aware that the Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust undertake some INNS management works at Llandinam gravels with the aid of volunteers - continuing with this work will help prevent the spread of INNS.

The project is not increasing the risk of INNS spreading downstream.

What biosecurity measures would be used during construction?

INNS have been considered in the design of the project and would avoid areas of INNS where possible.  Before construction takes place NRW would identify and assess the risk of pathways for the introduction and spread of INNS and identify measures to prevent the introduction and spread of INNS during construction.  Measures would be put in place following the 'Check Clean Dry' protocol to prevent activities spreading INNS onto, within and from the site during construction. Waste material would be disposed of in line with waste legislation.

Planning permission 

Will there be more consultation with the community?

Planning Permission is not required for this scheme as this work is a permitted development right of NRW. Given the absence of a formal planning consultation in this instance we have undertaken our own consultation to engage with the community. This includes the drop in session in September as an opportunity for the community to see the plans, ask questions, and provide their feedback for us to consider.  To help inform any scheme that goes ahead, there would be further engagement activities with the local community and stakeholders.

How does NRW secure permitted development?

Works which meet certain standards and criteria are able to secure permitted development. NRW has obtained a Certificate of Lawfulness from Powys County Council, certifying the works status as a permitted development.

To get in touch with the team, please email: Llandinamgravels@naturalresources.wales