In 2019 the Environment Agency built a fish pass just to the north of Tumbling Bay in Botley Park. An area of scrub was cleared and a small channel excavated to allow fish to navigate around the weirs in the bathing area, and access the Thames.

The area between the fish pass and the bathing pool was seeded with a wild-flower mix, and in recent weeks the meadow has been a glorious sight. There is lots of knapweed, also ox-eye daisy and lady’s bedstraw, and plenty of butterflies including gatekeepers (photo below), small skippers, meadow browns, and green-veined whites. The stream itself is also rich in vegetation.

This illustrates how just three years on, an area which was cleared, excavated and re-profiled can already be looking attractive and providing habitat to wildlife. If the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme does get built we expect to see many areas recovering similarly quickly.