Cherwell and Ray Catchment Partnership

Catchment partnership vision

Our vision is that the Cherwell and Ray catchment has clean water in rivers, canals and wetlands, and is healthy and full of wildlife. We want the catchment to be enjoyed and valued by all whilst being managed sustainably for the long term. We seek to greatly increase community and wider stakeholder engagement with the catchment to:

  • raise awareness of the importance of water and the benefits of a healthy catchment system
  • advance co-ordinated and effective measure
  • complete actions to conserve and protect both the water resource and environmentWe will particularly address water quality, the natural environment and flow management including abstractions and flooding. We want to:
  • support monitoring, mapping and a growing shared evidence base
  • support positive landowner actions
  • influence development, infrastructure proposals and strategic plans for better outcomes for the catchment
  • generate more investment to support partnership aims.

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

    Prolonged sewage spills, overwhelmed infrastructure, poor water quality is added to by lack of monitoring and enforcement

  • Pollution from agriculture and rural areas

    A largely rural catchment: farming and other rural activities result in regular diffuse and point source pollution

  • Changes to the natural flow and water levels

    Climate change exacerbates flooding and low flow issues, including balancing abstraction and demands for canal and river

Wider water environment challenges identified by partnership

The partnership have not identified any wider water environment challenges

Future challenges predicted by partnership

  • Pollution from waste water

  • Changes to the natural flow and water levels

  • Pollution from agriculture and rural areas

Future challenges predicted by Environment Agency

Future challenges in 2050

  • Invasive Non-native Species
  • Pollution from waste water
  • Pollution from Agriculture and Rural Areas

Emerging challenges

  • Pollution from waste water
  • Pollution from Agriculture and Rural Areas
  • Pollution from Towns Cities and Transport

Partnership success highlights 2016 to 2021

Since 2016 highlights include:

  • new partners including local councils, Forestry Commission and Canal and Rivers Trust
  • mass engagement on catchment issues including; Countryfile Live events, Oxford Festival of Nature and River Rangers activities with school children
  • raising awareness about point source water quality issues e.g. sewage spills - Riverfly monitoring training
  • Wild Banbury Project expanded funding (HLF, council), extensive community engagement
  • ‘facilitation funding’ secured for the Happy Valley Farmer Cluster around Deddington Brook with developments supported and guided by partners and commissioned assessments of the brook’s hydro-morphology, fish and invertebrates
  • sustained, extensive, wading bird conservation efforts including Upper Thames Wader Group co-development with continuing landowner advice plus action on BBOWT, RSPB and Banbury Ornithological Society nature reserves, including curlew breeding successes and mass creation of scrapes
  • BBOWT landholdings in the Ray Valley extended and Living Landscape work expanded to include the Bernwood area, building on collaboration with the RSPB around Otmoor
  • metaldehyde reduction projects including payment for ecosystem services and product substitution trials by Thames Water with local landowners, Catchment Sensitive Farming support and Environment Agency farm advice
  • NFU River Ray flood investigation project
  • 1-year Grimsbury Reservoir open sluice gate trial
  • Tetchwick Brook channel enhancements.

Partnership development plans

In the coming years we would like to have:

  • enhanced community involvement in the stewardship of water, recognising water as a vital resource and the wider ecosystem benefits it provides
  • greater influence addressing the climate and biodiversity crises at a catchment level
  • more co-developed research and evidence sharing guiding assessments and plans for adapting to changing pressures
  • secured funding for substantial project development, completion and long term partnership hosting.

Partnership priority actions and measures for 2022 to 2027

  • 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
    Cherwell

  • Confident

    Extend successful Wild Banbury project: multi-partner community engagement with a focus on habitat restoration

    Reason for measure
    Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
    Delivery mechanism
    Other local funding
    Location
    Cherwell

  • Confident

    Enhance engagement, habitat restoration, creation and farm advice within Bernwood and Ray Valley Living Landscape area

    Reason for measure
    Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
    Delivery mechanism
    WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
    Location
    Cherwell

  • Confident

    Happy Valley Farmer Group, Deddington Brook: natural flood management, run-off control, fish recovery and breeding birds

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
    Location
    Cherwell

  • Confident

    Continued Upper Thames Wader Group monitoring, land management advice and predator control

    Reason for measure
    Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
    Delivery mechanism
    Other local funding
    Location
    Cherwell

  • Confident

    Flood water storage plan for Wendlebury, plus biodiversity and community benefits

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage regulated flows
    Delivery mechanism
    Other local funding
    Location
    Cherwell

  • Less certain

    INNS work including Water Vole Recovery Project mink control, landowner advice, species protection, biodiversity

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage invasive non-native species
    Delivery mechanism
    Other local funding
    Barriers to delivery
    Securing funding and resource
    Location
    Cherwell

  • Less certain

    Develop projects for continuing weir removal and fish bypass at identified pinch points throughout the catchment

    Reason for measure
    Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
    Delivery mechanism
    WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
    Barriers to delivery
    Securing funding and resource
    Location
    Cherwell

  • Less certain

    River restoration action for Hanwell Brook and River Cherwell through Banbury, guided by commissioned walk-over survey

    Reason for measure
    Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
    Delivery mechanism
    WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
    Barriers to delivery
    Funding needed, also ideally supported by continued Wild Banbury project officer
    Location
    Cherwell

  • Less certain

    Expansion of citizen science monitoring of water quality and biodiversity including Riverfly sampling

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    Other local funding
    Barriers to delivery
    Securing funding
    Location
    Cherwell

  • Less certain

    Research and planning around Oxford Canal and River Cherwell interactions: water quality, biodiversity and flows

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage abstractions
    Delivery mechanism
    Other local funding
    Barriers to delivery
    Securing funding
    Location
    Cherwell

  • Less certain

    Advance co-developed proposals for extensive blue green infrastructure and community projects through Bicester

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage regulated flows
    Delivery mechanism
    Other local funding
    Barriers to delivery
    Securing funding
    Location
    Cherwell

Catchment Partnership contributors

Partners involved in the creation of this page and the actions of the partnership: