Fish pass and wildlife channel
WEYSIDE URBAN VILLAGE
Enhancing Guildford's Community
River improvements at Burpham Court Farm
The Environment Agency has completed work to create a natural bypass channel at Burpham Court Farm. This allows fish to move around Old Bucks weir, which previously blocked their route along the River Wey.
Weirs were originally built to support milling, navigation, and fishing, but they can make it difficult for fish to travel upstream. The new channel helps restore a more natural river environment.
How this helps wildlife
The new river channel is already helping to improve the health of the river and support local wildlife by:
- Allowing fish such as barbel, chub, dace, trout and eel to move freely along the river
- Opening up around 6km of river habitat upstream
- Giving fish access to feeding and spawning areas
- Providing shelter during high river flows and from predators
- Creating better habitats for a wide range of wildlife
The channel also includes gravel beds and shallow pools, which are ideal for fish to lay eggs and for young fish to grow.
What was done
The Environment Agency:
- Built new features at each end of the channel to guide fish and manage water flow
- Added gravel, stones and boulders to create a natural riverbed
- Creatied three backwater areas to provide calm, sheltered habitats for fish and other wildlife
- Formed a landscaped mound to provide wildlife habitat and help reduce road noise
- Planting wetland vegetation along the channel
The project is part of the Wey Fish Pass and Wetland Delivery (Wey FWD) strategy, which aims to improve the River Wey for both wildlife and people.
More information
The Wey Landscape website provides more information about about your local river. The website provides information about the project. It also details how partners are working to together enhance the river. For more information please contact The Environment Agency by email. enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk.