Public consultation launches on river restoration plans

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) is inviting residents, landowners and stakeholders to take part in a pre-application consultation on proposals to restore a degraded river system.

The month-long consultation will allow communities to review the plans and provide feedback before a formal planning application is submitted later this year.

The project focuses on a 2.5km stretch of the Kenson River on the Fonmon Estate near Llancarfan in the Vale of Glamorgan, where the watercourse has been significantly altered over the past century.

NRW said the river was historically deepened and straightened, reducing habitat diversity and limiting its natural connection with the surrounding floodplain.

The river supports several protected and priority species, including otters, water voles and sea trout.

The consultation opened on 19 February and runs until 19 March 2026.

As part of the engagement process, NRW will host a public drop-in session at Llancarfan Community Hall on 2 March, between 1pm and 6pm, where members of the project team will be available to answer questions and discuss the proposals.

NRW said the restoration scheme is designed to reinstate the river’s natural meandering course and restore the restore the river’s natural processes that have been disrupted by historic engineering works.

The plans include the creation of approximately 450 metres of new river habitat, alongside measures to improve water quality and sediment transport.

The proposals also aim to reconnect the river with around 20 hectares of its floodplain, a move intended to enhance natural flood management and increase habitat diversity.

NRW said the project would deliver benefits for a range of species, including European eels, otters, water voles, aquatic plants and invertebrates.

Officials added that the scheme would contribute to wider nature recovery and rewilding efforts across the Fonmon Estate.

The restoration represents the next phase of improvements following the removal of the Kenson Weir in summer 2025, a move NRW said had already improved river connectivity upstream.

Ecological benefits

Nathalie Nicolaus, River Restoration Programme Advisor for NRW, said: “The Kenson River Restoration Project is a significant opportunity to restore natural river processes, improve local biodiversity and reconnect the community with a healthier, more resilient river.

“The removal of the weir is already a major step towards improving ecological connectivity from the Severn Estuary upstream, directly supporting key species such as sea trout, eels, brook and river lamprey.”

Following the consultation period, responses will be reviewed and considered as NRW prepares its final planning submission, expected later in 2026. Subject to approval, construction could begin in summer 2026.

Full details of the proposals and information on how to respond will be available on NRW’s Kenson River Restoration webpage.

The scheme has been designed by JBA Consulting and is funded through the Welsh Government’s Nature and Climate Emergency Capital Programme, which supports projects focused on river restoration, fisheries, water quality and environmental resilience.