River Ouse restoration project opens up vital habitat for fish and wildlife

Fish and wildlife are set to benefit from a major river restoration project near Haywards Heath, after a long-standing barrier was removed from a tributary of the River Ouse.

Southern Water has supported the removal of a deteriorating concrete culvert on Cockhaise Brook, replacing it with a new clear-span bridge.

The work means water, fish and sediment can once again move more naturally through the river, helping to restore important habitats and improve conditions for wildlife.

The scheme has been delivered with the Ouse & Adur Rivers Trust and supported by the Environment Agency. It forms part of the Breaking Barriers programme, a wider effort to restore natural river processes and open up hundreds of kilometres of river habitat across Sussex.

For decades, the culvert had restricted the flow of the brook and blocked fish from moving upstream. Its removal now restores natural light, improves flow patterns, and gives species including brown trout, sea trout and eels better access to spawning and feeding grounds.

The project also included reprofiling riverbanks to create more natural shapes, planting native riverside vegetation, adding gravel and large woody material to improve habitats and fish spawning conditions, and tackling invasive Himalayan balsam to support biodiversity.

Rachel Paget, Head of Rivers & Catchments from the Ouse & Adur Rivers Trust said:

“Barrier removal is a cost-effective and proven method of restoring river health and ecosystem function, and we cannot thank the landowners enough for their support and our funding partners – Southern Water and Environment Agency for enabling this important river connection work to go ahead.”

Richard Burr of the Environment Agency said:

"Thanks to effective collaborative working, supported through the Water Environment Improvement Fund, we are delighted to be working closely with partners on this fantastic project.

"Breaking Barriers will deliver significant environmental benefits by improving fish passage, restoring natural processes and enhancing biodiversity.

"Through strong partnership working, we have been able to maximise environmental outcomes, while delivering against our core goals of healthy land and water, supporting nature recovery and increasing resilience to climate change in the most cost-effective way.”

Molly Crookshank, Biodiversity Net Gain Delivery Lead at Southern Water said:

“The on-site habitat creation at the Staplefield wetland and off-site river enhancement at Cockhaise Brook with Ouse & Adur Rivers Trust and support of the Environment Agency, has resulted in a Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) of more than 10%.”

Southern Water says it is delivering Biodiversity Net Gain across its planning projects and has started implementation ahead of mandatory requirements.

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