Lake View Park Further Wetland Restoration

Summary

In Autumn 2026, we will be carrying out restoration works in Lake View Park with approved contractors. This restoration work follows and supports the existing restoration work which The Sherbourne Valley Project has already achieved in the park in 2024/2025. The project aims to re-naturalise the River Sherbourne which flows through Coventry, improving it for nature and for local communities. There will be several elements to this particular restoration project, all of which will have a positive effect on the river and surrounding area in both short-term and long-term scenarios.

Community consultation:

It is important to note that action around renaturalising the river, was approved by community consultation surveys carried out by the project in April 2022. There will be a further community consultation day on August 11^th, see more information about this here.

Reason for the work:

Over the past two years, the Sherbourne Valley Project has transformed Lake View Park into a healthier and more natural river landscape. New ponds, scrapes, wetlands and river restoration features have created more space for wildlife, improved natural flood management and helped people reconnect with the River Sherbourne.

As these restoration works have become established, they have shown just how much potential the park has to support wildlife and store floodwater. However, some sections of the River Sherbourne and Guphill Brook remain straight, steep-sided and disconnected from the surrounding floodplain. During periods of high rainfall, these areas offer fewer places for wildlife to shelter and less opportunity for floodwater to spread naturally across the landscape.

This next phase of works will build upon the success of the previous restoration by creating new wetland habitats and reconnecting more of the river with its floodplain. By allowing water to interact more naturally with the surrounding landscape, the project will create a greater variety of habitats for wildlife while increasing the park's ability to manage floodwater. These improvements will help Lake View Park become an even richer home for nature and a more resilient green space for local communities to enjoy.

Outline of the work:

• ‍5x Bank Reprofiling (inset floodplains)
• 1x Scrape
• 1x Butterfly Bank
• 1x Riffle Feature

The project will deliver a range of carefully designed habitat improvements throughout Lake View Park, each working together to support wildlife and natural flood management.

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Reprofiling Riverbanks and Creating High-Flow Scrapes:

Five sections of the riverbank will be gently reshaped to create shallow wetland areas connected to the river during periods of higher water. When river levels rise, these areas provide calm refuges where fish and aquatic insects can shelter from stronger currents. At lower water levels, they create a more varied river edge, increasing habitat diversity and encouraging a wider range of plants and animals.

Creating a Seasonal Wetland:

A new standalone scrape will be created away from the river, where it will naturally collect rainwater and floodwater. Rather than holding water all year round, this seasonal wetland will fill and dry naturally, providing valuable breeding habitat for amphibians and specialised wetland invertebrates while reflecting the changing seasons.

Installing a New Riffle:

To enable construction machinery to cross the river safely without placing pressure on existing park bridges, a temporary gravel crossing will be installed. Once the works are complete, the gravel will be reshaped into a permanent riffle, which is a shallow, faster-flowing section of river. Riffles naturally increase oxygen levels within the water, creating ideal habitat for aquatic insects and providing spawning grounds for fish.

Creating a Butterfly Bank:

The soil excavated during the works will be reused to create a gently curved butterfly bank. Designed and planted with appropriate wildflowers and grasses, this new habitat will provide ideal conditions for butterflies, bees and other pollinating insects while making the most of materials already available on site.

Together, these improvements will further strengthen Lake View Park as an important wetland landscape, creating more space for wildlife, improving the way water moves through the park, and building on the successful restoration already delivered by the Sherbourne Valley Project.

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Further notes:

The soil (sometimes referred to as spoil) will be kept on-site, and will be profiled into a butterfly bank and reseeded. The reseeding will make sure that the soil heaps are vegetated by healthy and diverse plants, as well as ensuring ground stability and visual appeal. The soil location has been identified in consultation with Coventry City Council to identify areas of the park where they won't impact on the visual aspect of the site.

Any damage to the ground will be restored to its state as of the start of the project. This will be agreed and signed off with the contractor. In the event of poor weather, track matting will be used to prevent ground damage.

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