River Restoration, Wetland & Flood Barrier Construction

Spurred by the rise in residential flooding due to the dramatic rain events of the winter of 2013-14, Enfield Council sought to construct a flood barrier to the east of Firs Farm Park. In fitting with the Council’s holistic design philosophy, this project was combined with the restoration of a river that formerly ran through the park but had been diverted into an underground culvert decades ago - the resulting spoil from the excavation of the river being used to form the barrier. 

The watercourse excavation was facilitated by state-of-the-art machines equipped with laser control systems linked with computer design software, which combined with the experience and skill of the operators helped bring the council's vision to life. Meanwhile, the flood relief bund was carefully constructed using a combination of rollers and bulldozers - also fitted with laser control systems - to ensure the material was sufficiently compacted to provide protection from dramatic flood events.

During the construction, Turfdry’s experienced team worked closely with the Council’s engineering department to ensure that the aesthetic ambitions of the project were realised as well as the practical ones. A recent visit to the site to catch up with its natural development revealed the efforts were not in vain, and a rich bounty of plants and animals are flourishing along the river’s winding route and shallow pools. 

Subsequent to Turfdry's involvement with the project, the scheme was subject to a public vote, and won an additional £175K in funding to expand its scope to include the construction of new cycle paths around the park and additional wetland planting, to further enrich this new hub of natural beauty and ecological protection.

The project was recognised by the ‘Oscars’ of waterways, winning the ‘Natural Environment’ category at the 2017 Living Waterways Awards, where praise was given for the project’s integration of a diverse set of goals, as well as the uniqueness of revealing a hidden watercourse. Moreover, subsequent monitoring has demonstrated “the significant reduction in pollution levels” and “massive benefits to wildlife” - according to senior programmes manager at Thames21, John Bryden.

Find out more about Turfdry's work with watercourses in Enfield by visiting the Pymmes Park section of our portfolio, or to see some of our latest projects, why not take a look at the news section?

Project Summary

Services Provided by Turfdry

  • Major Excavation
  • Land Re-Modelling
  • River Restoration
  • Wetland Construction
  • Flood Barrier Construction
  • Site Security

Client

Enfield Council


Website

www.new.enfield.gov.uk

Address

Enfield Council
Civic Centre
Silver Street
Enfield
EN1 3XA