The Environment Agency, Dacorum Borough Council and Affinity Water are hosting a consultation event on 10th September to seek the view of the general public on their proposals to restore the River Gade through Gadebridge Park, Hemel Hempstead.

 The restoration scheme is part of Revitalising Chalk Rivers, a wider programme of projects that aims to protect and restore our rare chalk streams. Affinity Water and the Environment Agency lead the programme, working alongside other partners.

The Gade at Gadebridge Park flows down an artificial channel created to supply water to the now demolished Bury Mill.  The river is straight and slow flowing and is prone to breaking out of its banks when they become eroded by dogs and people accessing the river. The natural line of the river should follow the valley bottom through the Park (this can be seen during wet winters, when groundwater rises to the surface).

Proposals include:

• Realignment of the river from downstream of the White Bridge, back to the valley bottom through the park. This will reconnect the river to its floodplain and to groundwater through the area.
• Re-routing  spring flows, which currently run through a culvert (underground tunnel), into the new channel to provide additional flow to the river, increasing its resilience, particularly in times of low flows
• Replacing the existing Bury Mill gauging station with one on the new channel that will be passable to fish, and have much less impact on the river channel than the present gauging station
• New footpaths, a new bridge across the realigned channel and an informal crossing point over the new channel
• A new wetland / nature area.

Click here to see the indicative landscape plan for the project.

Residents and others can read more about the plans and make comments by visiting www.tinyurl.com/Gadebridge-Park.

Enquiries about the project can be emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The latest consultation event will take place in Gadebridge Park on Monday 10th September, between 3pm and 5pm. The event will be held near the White Bridge close the main Gadebridge Park car park which is accessible from the A4146 Leighton Buzzard Road. The event will be an ideal opportunity to see the proposals and speak to the project team.