Hemel Hempstead chalk stream to be rerouted at Gadebridge Park

Two new bridges would be designed - as per these artist impressions - for the river in Gadebridge Park

A rare chalk stream could be rerouted to improve vegetation and the habitats for water vole and fish.

Dacorum Borough Council has granted planning permission for the Environment Agency to cut a new channel for the River Gade in Hemel Hempstead.

Councillors were told that "human intervention" had damaged the stream's banks and increased the flooding risk.

"This project has taken a significant period of time to come to fruition," a council report said.

"Fundamentally, the project seeks to strike a balance between wildlife and environmental needs, and the ability for the park and river to be enjoyed by the community."

A council report said that "human intervention" had damaged the channel

Councillors placed 13 conditions on the plan, and wanted to know how construction would be monitored

The council was told the River Gade was one of the "very few" chalk streams that exist around the world.

The existing concrete weir in Gadebridge Park, which was built to regulate water flow, had acted as a "barrier to fish passage"

The new channel would be created between the Grade II-listed White Bridge and the B487 Queensway, and the old channel filled in.

The Chiltern Society said chalk streams played host to water vole, endangered in the UK, and the "threatened" brown trout.

The council's development management committee voted through the plans on Thursday, but with 13 conditions, which included asking the Environment Agency to provide more detail about how the construction work would be managed.