Restoring the River Onny’s Historic Meander

Bringing a natural curve back to the river on the Plowden Estate

About the project

The River Onny Paleochannel Restoration Project has reconnected an historic meander of the river on the Plowden Estate in Shropshire. Historic maps show that the river once followed a sweeping curve across this field before it was straightened, likely to create more grazing land or protect the nearby road. Through this project, the river now flows back through its natural channel for the first time in decades.

Delivered by Severn Rivers Trust in partnership with Roger Plowden and funded by the Environment Agency’s Water Environment Improvement Fund, the restored meander has been fenced and newly planted as part of the Severn Woodlands Scheme.

What we delivered

To bring the river back to its original course, the project team:

• Reconnected the paleochannel so the river could follow its historic meander.

• Converted the straightened channel into a quieter backwater habitat.

• Moved gravel to create the foundations for natural riffles and spawning areas.

• Planted trees to stabilise banks, add shade and improve wildlife habitat.

These changes allow the river to slow down, spread energy across bends and behave more naturally.

Why it matters

Straightened rivers tend to flow faster, increase erosion and offer fewer places for wildlife to thrive. Restoring the River Onny’s meander brings back a more natural pattern that:

• Slows the flow and reduces flood pressure downstream.

• Creates a wider variety of habitats for fish, insects and plants.

• Helps protect fish eggs during high flows.

• Supports richer invertebrate life in the new backwater.

• Improves shade, shelter and water quality through new tree planting.

What we achieved

• Reconnected the river to its historic course.

• Created a new backwater habitat in the former straightened channel.

• Improved habitat diversity for fish and invertebrates.

• Strengthened banks and reduced erosion risk.

• Planted new woodland to support long-term river health.

  

  

Looking ahead

As water continues to move through the restored meander, the river will keep shaping its own path. Gravel and cobbles will settle into natural riffles, wetland edges will develop and new plants will establish around the channel. Over time this stretch of the River Onny will support a more diverse mix of wildlife and provide a more resilient landscape during periods of high and low flows.

Tree planting through the Severn Woodlands Scheme will mature over the coming years, adding shade, stabilising the banks and improving conditions for fish and invertebrates. The restored backwater will also become a quiet refuge for wildlife as it naturalises.