Fornside river restoration

At Fornside Farm, St John’s in the Vale, the stream had been historically straightened, raised, and embanked, meaning it was sitting unnaturally above the land around it. In its modified state, the channel caused regular flooding and created large areas of boggy grazing ground, with a maintenance burden for the landowner. In dry weather the stream quickly dried out because any water drained quickly away from the channel. The channel contained limited habitat, and the frequent floods and drought had a detrimental impact on wildlife.

In collaboration with Fornside Farm, a river restoration project was undertaken in 2024 to re-naturalise the stream to deliver multiple benefits for nature and farming, supported by United Utilities. A 200m length of the stream was moved out of this ‘perched’ channel into a natural, meandering channel at the lowest point in the floodplain, where the river should be. Ponds and wetlands have been created around the new channel. The old, straightened channel was filled in and restored as grazing land.

The restored watercourse and wetlands now offer rich new habitats, creating a haven for a range of wildlife, including amphibians, birds and insects. The hope is that salmon will soon come back up the stream. The new channel is also more resilient to floods and droughts meaning the grazing land is more productive and better for livestock.