Severn Vale Catchment Partnership
Severn Vale | Severn
Contact Information
Catchment Host
Severn Rivers Trust & Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust
Enquiries
Kai'a Bellamy - Wetlands Project Officer at Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust
Social
The Severn Vale area includes many of the small rivers and brooks that drain into the lower River Severn or directly into the Severn estuary. The land is variable with mixed urban, agricultural and forested areas. The main urban areas include Gloucester, Cheltenham, Ledbury and Stroud.
The Severn Vale catchment partnership is engaging with a wide range of partners throughout the catchment including local authorities, statutory bodies, recreational groups, water companies, and conservation organisations. A steering group was formed in 2014, then in 2015 an open event was held where over 100 people got together to share their views on the catchment and discuss the priorities for the partnership. These results were used to inform the current catchment plan.
Regular meetings of the partnership are held to review the priorities and progress with projects and identify any new opportunities for engagement. The partnership will frequently update the catchments online project map with existing, developing, and conceptual projects.
The updated Wilder Frome Vision and Strategic Action Plan can be found below, integrating the comments from our partners and local communities, as well as the Wilder Frome Project Group’s response to the consultation.
The Wilder Frome Vision and Strategic Action Plan
The Severn Vale Catchment Partnership work across the Severn Vale to promote and improve the water environment for people and wildlife alike. Since 2020 the partnership has been trialling a new approach to project development and focusing on 5 priority areas:
- The Wilder Frome
- Forest to Sea in the Forest of Dean
- The Wilder Leadon
- Gloucester’s Waterscapes
- Flourishing Floodplains
By trying to focus our effort over the next couple of years on key catchments and areas of work, we aim to develop a series of ambitious flagship projects that set out how we can restore functionality at a catchment level, and which can support and help bring in funding for delivery on the ground. Whilst the projects will seek to include specific work plans, other works will be considered when opportunities for improvement arise.
The first project we are looking to take forward focuses on the River Frome catchment in Stroud District. A range of organisations have come together and developed a vision for how we think the Frome should look as well as detailing some specific objectives we would like to see realised by 2030. We fully appreciate that the River Frome and its adjoining habitats belongs to all the individuals and communities who rely on it for work, rest, and play, and equally the wildlife that calls it home.
Consultation on the Vision and Strategic Action Plan
The Wilder Frome Vision and Strategic Action Plan has been updated and is available to view above. Thank you to everyone who commented and allowed us to make this version more representative of what people in the Severn Vale catchment really want.
Resources Section
A list of useful resources and documents.
- 25 Year Environment Plan: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/25-year-environment-plan
- Local Nature Recovery Strategies: https://consult.defra.gov.uk/land-use/local-nature-recovery-strategies/
- Environmental Land Management schemes: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/environmental-land-management-schemes-overview
- Regenerative Farming: https://regenerativefoodandfarming.co.uk/
- Nature Based Solutions: https://www.iucn.org/our-work/nature-based-solutions
- Natural Flood Management: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/natural-flood-management-part-of-the-nations-flood-resilience
- Stroud District Council Natural Flood Management: https://www.stroud.gov.uk/environment/flooding-and-drainage/stroud-valleys-natural-flood-management-project/natural-flood-management-nfm
- Water Framework Directive: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2017/407/contents/made
- Local Nature Recovery scheme: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-nature-recovery-more-information-on-how-the-scheme-will-work
- Yellow Fish Days: https://catchmentbasedapproach.org/learn/engaging-with-communities-yellow-fish/
- Riverfly Partnership Recording schemes: https://www.riverflies.org/recording-schemes
- Freshwater quality monitoring: https://earthwatch.org.uk/get-involved/freshwater-watch
- Modular river flow monitoring: https://modularriversurvey.org/
- Gloucestershire Highways: https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/highways/
- Severn Trent Water: https://www.stwater.co.uk/
- Catchment Based Approach: https://catchmentbasedapproach.org/
- Sponge Cities:https://climatechampions.unfccc.int/what-are-sponge-cities-and-how-can-they-prevent-floods/
- Stroud District Council Canals Strategy: https://www.stroud.gov.uk/canals-strategy-for-stroud-district#:~:text=The%20Canals%20Strategy%20sets%20out,our%20environment%20and%20local%20wildlife.