Arundel Mill is a beautiful on-line pond a short walk along the Thames and Severn Canal towpath from Stroud town centre in Gloucestershire. It is owned by Stroud Valleys Project and together with Severn Rivers Trust they commissioned KCH to undertake feasibility and later detailed design of a passive management scheme for Arundel Mill inclusive of multi-species fish passage through the site.

Arundel Mill is an on-line pond with a historic sluice and bypass weir structure on the downstream head wall. Upstream, Arundel Mill includes a reach of the River Frome and its wider riverine environment. The historic sluice and bypass weir was in need of repair

and in the on-line pond there was a loss of open water due to vegetation stabilising deposited silt.

Stroud Valleys Project is a local charity that aims to work with the community to enhance the local environment for the benefit of people and nature. In line with their values, they asked that the proposals meet the needs and priorities of associated parties in the community through making the space safely accessible to the public and minimising offsite

impacts on neighbouring land owners. It was also necessary to act in line with a protective covenant for the property that stipulated that the site be maintained for wildlife as a lake, pond or marsh.

KCH engaged with stakeholders, undertook a number of site visits and undertook a baseline assessment before considering options as part of a feasibility assessment for the site.

A number of options were then present to the client team and the preferred option taken to detailed design stage.

The prefered option was to retain and repair the existing weir and sluice structure, with a structure constructed to facilitate fish passage. An upstream maintenance and management plan was proposed to reinstate open water in the online pond and an upstream wetland area to “collect” sediment.

To date, Stroud Valleys Project and their project partners have repaired the weir headwall, created the open water and wetlands area, they also installed an eel pass in the bypass weir to facilitate eel passage into the on-line pond.