Nant y Wedal river restoration survey

Overview

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Natural Resource Wales (NRW) is seeking to improve the natural character of rivers across Wales.

To do this, we are looking at opportunities to remove man-made structures that are negatively impacting river health. Restoring rivers will benefit nature and people, both now and in the future.

Nant y Wedal ('nant' is the Welsh word for stream) is a tributary of the Roath Brook in Cardiff. The stream is culverted (hidden underground) for much of its length but flows openly in Heath Park. It is this area through Heath Park which is the focus of this project.

Within Heath Park, the stream has lost its natural bends (sinuosity) and is artificially straight, as shown in the photograph below. The straight shape restricts healthy river processes, and the stream has lost its ability to form diverse habitats for wildlife. The stream also has in-channel structures, which cause knock on impacts to the stream.

We are exploring opportunities for restoring Nant y Wedal and want to share our ideas with you to gain feedback on how these may be valued by the local community.

View the restoration opportunities that we've identified for Nant y Wedal. You can see the ideas in more detail in the online survey using the link below.

Before any of these works are progressed, they will be done so with agreement from Cardiff Council and the community using the park. The opportunities shown are suggestions at this stage to help improve the natural habitat, restore the river and provide more enjoyment for communities who visit the watercourse.