The River Thame’s health is shaped by the choices we make in the surrounding communities, from land use and development to everyday actions. Spanning a wide area from Aylesbury to Dorchester-on-Thames, the River Thame catchment is home to many different communities, each playing a vital role in the river’s future. To support these communities, we’ve been hosting our Community Currents Workshops, bringing together residents, farmers, councillors, and anyone passionate about river conservation. These workshops focus on specific parts of the catchment, addressing the unique challenges of each area and empowering local people to make a positive impact on the river’s health.

To date, we’ve held four workshops focused on Haseley & Latchford Brooks, the Cuttlebrook, Kingsey Cuttlebrook and Chalgrove & Lewknor Brooks. These events have been a fantastic opportunity to connect with local communities, share knowledge, and collaborate on solutions for protecting and enhancing these vital watercourses.

The Importance of Local Action

These workshops are more than just discussions – they are opportunities to work together, share ideas, and take action. We believe that communities that understand and care for their local rivers are key to ensuring their long-term health. By involving local people in the conversation, we can collectively improve the water quality, ecology, and biodiversity of the River Thame and its tributaries.

As we continue to hold workshops across the River Thame catchment, we’re excited to see more communities getting involved, sharing their insights, and collaborating on projects that will have a lasting impact on our rivers.

Neighbourhood Plans and River Conservation

A central aim of our workshops has been to encourage communities to integrate river conservation policies and projects into their neighbourhood plans. Neighbourhood plans are a crucial tool that empowers local communities to have a say in how their area is developed, offering a framework for shaping everything from housing and infrastructure to the management of natural features such as rivers, streams, and wetlands.

These plans allow communities to influence the direction of development in a way that reflects their priorities, ensuring that local concerns and environmental needs are considered in planning decisions. When it comes to river conservation, incorporating specific policies into a neighbourhood plan means that future development must take into account the protection of local watercourses, ensuring they are preserved and enhanced as part of the broader landscape.

By embedding watercourse protection into these plans, communities can have a lasting impact on the health of their rivers, streams, and wetlands. It’s an opportunity to guide development in ways that not only safeguard the natural environment but also enhance it — whether that’s through sustainable land management practices, maintaining floodplains, or improving water quality. When done right, neighbourhood plans can help create a legacy of river-friendly development that benefits both nature and the people who live alongside these important watercourses.

Our Neighbourhood Plan Vision

We’re excited to work with local communities to advocate for policies that support sustainable water management and protect watercourses. Some of the ideas we’re promoting include:

Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS): These systems help manage surface water runoff, prevent flooding, and reduce pressure on local waterways.

Ecological Buffer Zones: Introducing native vegetation buffers along watercourses to improve habitats, water quality, and prevent erosion.

De-culverting & Re-meandering: Where possible, we recommend removing culverts and restoring natural river flow patterns to improve biodiversity and river health.

Non-invasive Planting: Ensuring that new planting projects use only native, non-invasive species that support local wildlife.

Rainwater Harvesting: Encouraging new builds to integrate rainwater harvesting systems to reduce pressure on local water supplies.

By including these projects and policies in Neighbourhood Plans, we can help make lasting, positive changes to the River Thame and its tributaries, ensuring a more sustainable future for both the environment and local communities.

Supporting Local Communities with Neighbourhood Plans

At RTCT, we can provide support to local communities and groups as they develop neighbourhood plans that incorporate river conservation. We can:

Give advice on river-related policy ideas: Helping ensure that policies related to river health and protection are included in local plans.

Assist in gathering evidence: Working together to pull together the data needed to support the development of these plans and the river restoration projects they may include.

Provide river restoration project ideas: Offering ideas and guidance on practical steps to restore and enhance local rivers and streams.

While RTCT is pleased to offer its expertise in supporting the development of neighbourhood plans, we are a small charity and rely on funding to ensure we can dedicate the necessary time and resources to provide high-quality advice. Local groups and communities may be eligible for external funding to cover these costs, such as:

Trust for Oxfordshire’s Environment (TOE): Grants of up to £15,000 for projects that enhance wildlife spaces in towns and villages.

Locality Neighbourhood Planning: Grants of up to £10,000 for groups working on Neighbourhood Plans or Neighbourhood Development Orders.

As we continue to hold workshops across the River Thame catchment, we are thrilled to see more communities getting involved, sharing their insights, and collaborating on initiatives that will have a lasting impact on our rivers. We invite you to join the conversation, share your knowledge, and contribute to the development of Neighbourhood Plans that prioritise river conservation.

Together, we can ensure that the River Thame remains a vibrant, healthy watercourse for future generations. Keep an eye out for our upcoming workshops, and we look forward to working together to protect and enhance our local rivers!

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