First phase of £45m river park nearly finished

The river park covers a long section going through the city centre

A £45m river park designed to prevent future flooding and improve the environment for wildlife is nearing completion of its first phase.

The project in Salisbury stretches from the central car park through to the Five Rivers centre area, protecting about 350 homes and an electricity substation.

Ian Withers, from the Environment Agency which has funded most of it, said it is "without a doubt" worth the money and that it is expected "to deliver £550m of economic benefit to the city".

More trees and seeds will be planted over the coming months and Wiltshire Council said plans for additional phases are in place and will progress as funding becomes available.

The work will help the ecology of the area as well as help prevent homes flooding

What's new?

The River Avon is a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to its famous chalk stream.

To help the local ecology, more than 600 new trees have been planted and the area should be better for lots of wildlife, including water voles, otters, bats and birds.

The old radial (flood) gate has been replaced with rock weirs, which allow more fish species to travel down the river.

There are new flood embankments and flood walls through Fisherton Recreation Ground and along Ashley Road, a new channel and wetland area, including with new boardwalks, play areas and planting.

The Central car park now has a 50m wide green area to allow for flood waters, and there is 650m of new and improved cycle routes and 1,600m of footpaths.

The old radial gate was replaced with rock weirs so more fish can migrate

What was the problem?

Flood modelling in 2019 showed a growing number of city centre properties were at risk. The project became wider to address other issues such as biodiversity, climate adaptation and regeneration following the 2018 nerve agent attacks.

Wiltshire Council leader, Richard Clewer, remembers flooding in the city in 2014.

"We watched water getting closer and closer to people's houses. Even more concerning, closer to the electricity substation that supplies most of Salisbury," he said.

He said that at points along the river you no longer "feel like you're in the middle of a city at all".

Mr Clewer explained the river park will prevent the kind of flooding seen a decade ago "unless we see a biblical scale deluge".

Community projects - like this mural in Central Car Park - have been going on alongside the river work

'Something wonderful'

Mr Withers said the EA has been very pleased with the work, describing it as "something wonderful".

"I can't really overstate this - the River Avon is one of the centrepieces of this fine city," he said.

"In terms of the protection it delivers in the long-term and the benefit, I think it's absolutely straightforward that it's a scheme that needed to happen."