Norfolk and Suffolk river rewiggling project seeks funds

Two rivers that act as the border between Norfolk and Suffolk could be rewiggled as part of a landmark project to boost flood defences and wildlife.

For the past two years, Suffolk Wildlife Trust (SWT) has been working with 17 farmers and landowners in the Waveney Valley on a pilot project to restore flood-prone areas to their natural state.

The charity is now seeking millions of pounds in funding from the government to take its groundbreaking Waveney and Little Ouse Landscape Recovery scheme to the next stage.

It hopes to create fenland areas to help prevent flooding while also helping farmers gain compensation for any loss of earnings for restoring the land.

The River Waveney would also become the latest waterway to be rewiggled – a growing movement to restore rivers to their natural meandering state, undoing centuries of human intervention to straighten them.

This helps slow down the flow of water, protecting against flooding downstream.

While other similar river restoration projects are already under way, this scheme is unique due to its scale.

It would cover an area of about 1,650 hectares, helping to protect people from floods in Diss, Bungay, Thetford, Beccles and surrounding villages like Needham Mill and Brockdish – all of which have experienced flooding in recent years.

Jack Cripps, communications manager at SWT, said: “This could help protect homes from flooding for 20 years and it also has wider benefits for helping the landscape recover.

“This is exciting as it is not protecting nature at the expense of what people need, or vice versa, it is working in tandem to improve the landscape and people’s lives.”

The scheme is expected to boost biodiversity significantly, helping to boost the number of otters, water voles, birds and insects living in the valley.

SWT is also seeking potential private investors to help support the work, which could allow firms to pay landowners to offset carbon emissions.

The Department for Environment and Rural Affairs is now reviewing the funding bid, with the outcome expected in the next six months.

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