North Norfolk Catchment Partnership
- Catchment HostNorfolk Rivers Trust
- River Basin DistrictAnglian
- Management CatchmentNorth Norfolk Rivers
- Management Catchment ID3064
Catchment partnership vision
Our vision is for clean and healthy rivers, with resilience to climate change, adequate provision of compensatory habitat, natural flood control, thriving chalk streams and wildlife, and more access for the public.
Related websites
Find out more about the activities and ambitions of this catchment partnership and how you can get involved to help improve the water environment in the catchment.
Catchment challenges
Current challenges identified by partnership
Pollution from waste water
Excess nutrients fundamentally affecting stream ecology and unknown risk from other toxins
Physical modifications
Unnatural hydrogeomorphology affecting stream ecology and hundreds of barriers affecting biodiversity
Pollution from agriculture and rural areas
Constant input of silt and nutrients harming rivers and biodiversity
Wider water environment challenges identified by partnership
Nature Recovery, protect and enhance rare habitats including chalk streams
North Norfolk catchment has many chalk streams and protected species
Improved shellfish waters
Shellfish fisheries are not only part of a local economy and culture but also part of an ecosystem so protection is key
Protect and restore healthy soils and nutrient balance
Intensive agriculture in catchment affects chalk streams, water quality and flows
Build environmental resilience and adaptation to climate change
Housing developments and climate change impact chalk streams, flows and water quality this is intwined with Net Zero and low carbon economy
Support levelling up, growth and jobs
Jobs in North Norfolk are limited and 2nd home ownership is significant, keeping locals employed and in affordable housing is priority
Connecting communities with nature
Engaging locals and tourists with North Norfolk's specialist wildlife should result in more care and protection
Future challenges predicted by partnership
Changes to the natural flow and water levels
Pollution from waste water
Physical modifications
Future challenges predicted by Environment Agency
Future challenges in 2050
- Invasive Non-native Species
- Changes to the Natural Flow and Water Levels
- Pollution from Towns Cities and Transport
Emerging challenges
- Changes to the Natural Flow and Water Levels
- Pollution from waste water
- Pollution from Towns Cities and Transport
Partnership success highlights 2016 to 2021
We are a small, friendly and effective partnership, holding regular meetings to help us find new opportunities to collaborate. We have produced catchment restoration plans for 9 chalk rivers, available on the Norfolk Rivers Trust website. A significant success for the partnership is the Glaven Eel Project 2015 -2018, we re-connected current generations with the eel, its folklore and traditions and restored river habitat for eels. We have also done work around environmental education, a particular success was the Mayflies in the Classroom sessions. We have supported Norfolk Crayfish Group in surveying for crayfish species, creating ark sites for White-clawed crayfish and identifying future ark site locations. We now have 7 confirmed populations of White-clawed crayfish. We have undertaken habitat restoration projects, for example, at Bayfield, we created a new channel to bypass a lake; we restored Selbrigg pond on the Glaven, and we used large woody debris to reawaken the River Stiffkey at Great Snoring. We created an Integrated Constructed Wetland to reduce phosphate in the River Mun and Little Broad lake. The lake has recovered from algal blooms, it is now mostly clear and fish have colonised. Ongoing work with River Glaven Conservation Group and Glaven fishing club to improve the Glaven, reduce silt, floodplain reconnection, large woody debris e.g. at Wiveton.
Partnership development plans
We plan to showcase more of the partnership's work, aiming to increase involvement from people outside the conservation sector e.g. insurers, bankers, local communities, farming supply chain and farming representatives, whilst maintaining a local focus. Our aim is to work with North Norfolk District Council on a drive to obtain Net Zero and work in a low carbon economy. We are also working with catchment partners to develop a 20 year landscape recovery partnership covering North Norfolk and North West Norfolk catchments.
Partnership priority actions and measures for 2022 to 2027
Confident
Restoring habitats and natural processes in chalk streams (Stiffkey Total Catchment Solution/Burn Plan/Glaven Beavers)
- Reason for measure
- Manage modified habitats
- Delivery mechanism
- Grant giving trusts and businesses
- Location
- North Norfolk
Confident
Pond restoration and creation projects with Norfolk Ponds Project
- Reason for measure
- Manage modified habitats
- Delivery mechanism
- Grant giving trusts and businesses
- Location
- North Norfolk Rivers
Confident
Support; Norfolk Mink Project/Norfolk Crayfish Group/Norfolk INNS Initiative/Norfolk Ponds to improve freshwater ecology
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage invasive non-native species
- Delivery mechanism
- Grant giving trusts and businesses
- Location
- North Norfolk Rivers
Confident
Combined farming advice and interventions such as wetlands and slowing the flow through the Water Sensitive Farming Project
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
- Delivery mechanism
- Grant giving trusts and businesses
- Location
- North Norfolk Rivers
Confident
Enhancement/no deterioration measures in 2020-2025 Water Industry National Environment Programme
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage point source discharges
- Delivery mechanism
- Confirmed water industry national environment programme 2020-2025
- Location
- North Norfolk Rivers
Less certain
Natural Flood Management at the farm scale - direct interventions targeted at reducing flood risk
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage regulated flows
- Delivery mechanism
- Environment Land Management Scheme (future full-scale roll-out)
- Barriers to delivery
- Securing funding, land owner engagement and permission, understanding of climate breakdown
- Location
- North Norfolk Rivers
Less certain
Working with farmers and highways to reduce verge damage and sediment entering watercourses e.g. through silt traps
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
- Delivery mechanism
- Grant giving trusts and businesses
- Barriers to delivery
- Securing funding, land owner engagement and permission, understanding of climate breakdown
- Location
- North Norfolk Rivers
Less certain
Developing projects to provide compensation for freshwater habitats impacted by the climate crisis
- Reason for measure
- Manage modified habitats
- Delivery mechanism
- Grant giving trusts and businesses
- Barriers to delivery
- Securing funding, land owner engagement & permission, understanding of climate breakdown
- Location
- North Norfolk Rivers
Less certain
Revisiting the plan for the Mun to find opportunities to encourage habitat improvement work
- Reason for measure
- Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
- Delivery mechanism
- Grant giving trusts and businesses
- Barriers to delivery
- Securing funding, land owner engagement & permission, understanding of climate breakdown
- Location
- North Norfolk Rivers
Less certain
Develop fish passage solutions for barriers preventing fish movement
- Reason for measure
- Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
- Delivery mechanism
- Grant giving trusts and businesses
- Barriers to delivery
- Securing funding, land owner engagement & permission, understanding of climate breakdown
- Location
- North Norfolk Rivers
Wider water environment
Completion of Two Chalk Rivers project, enhancing habitat and improving water quality in the River Stiffkey
- Reason for measure
- Nature Recovery, protect and enhance rare habitats including chalk streams
- Delivery mechanism
- Green Recovery Challenge Fund/Challenge Fund
- Location
- Stiffkey
Wider water environment
Bayfield Wetland, improving water quality and habitat in the River Glaven catchment
- Reason for measure
- Nature Recovery, protect and enhance rare habitats including chalk streams
- Delivery mechanism
- WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
- Location
- Glaven
Wider water environment
Saving Norfolk's Crayfish - captive breeding programme and habitat enhancement for white clawed crayfish
- Reason for measure
- Nature Recovery, designated areas for nature and biodiversity
- Delivery mechanism
- WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
- Location
- Glaven
Catchment Partnership contributors
Partners involved in the creation of this page and the actions of the partnership: