River Cam Diversion Works, Dursley Nr Stroud
Client: UPM Tilhill for St Modwen Developers
Project Brief: Part of the River Cam was diverted and deculverted to accommodate new warehouse facilities. The brief was to provide greater biodiversity and reinstate a natural feature with good marginal bank vegetation.
The Solution: Bulk earthworks were carried out by main contractor. Sub contractor UPM Tilhill were responsible for the overall tree, shrub and grass establishment on the slopes. Salix were appointed as specialist sub contractors after providing design advice to the Landscape Architects at early design stage. Salix supplied and installed 600 metres of 200mm diameter Pre-Established Coir Rolls, manufactured and pre grown with native marginal plants at our in house nursery. 200mm diameter Coir Rolls were used as opposed to 300mm diameter as they fitted in better with the water depths and size of the channel. Salix also provided wetland plug plants in 110cc and 230cc root trainer form, which were planted along some of the berms to add further biodiversity.
The Result: The Coir Rolls have prevented any bank erosion at the toe and speeded up the natural regeneration process by using mature vegetation within the Coir Rolls that provide a diverse range of wetland plant species.
Materials used: Pre-Established Coir Rolls, Wetland Plants.
Bulk earthworks to create new river channel
200mm diameter Pre-Established Coir Rolls were easy to handle and suited the size of the channel
Pre-Established Coir Rolls in place with chestnut
stakes to front and back of the rolls ready to be
driven to refusal into the bed of the river
Four months after installation the marginal vegetation is well established due to the quality of the mature planting within the Pre-Established Coir Rolls
