Rodden Nature Reserve | Frome, Somerset

Novell Tullett worked with Wessex Ecological Consultancy on this river project in Somerset. It was initially commissioned to write the Environmental Statement for a supermarket in a sensitive landscape location in Frome Somerset. The planning inquiry rested on the landscape proposals to demonstrate that the River could be successfully moved and reinstated enabling sufficient site area for the supermarket.

With considerable expertise in proposals in riverine locations the practice was commissioned to design the masterplan and the detailed drawings for the river diversion and new floodplain habitat. The proposals included diversion of the river, the creation of riverine floodplain habitat, with woodland, dry and wet meadow creation and the restoration of the river flora itself.

Both through the practice’s representation at the inquiry and the quality of the detailed design of the new river landscape planning consent was successfully achieved. The project is now under local volunteer management, and has become home to otters, kingfishers, herons, little egrets, woodmice