A couple living alongside the River Avon say the River Park project is an “environmental disaster”.
Geoffrey Venner, 83, lives with his wife, Diana Venner, 78, alongside the ongoing River Park project.
The £27 million project has been ongoing since 2022 and was created to reduce flood risks, enhance riverside habitats and create more public open space.
However, for Geoffrey and Diana, a big change has been the loss of wildlife in front of their home, and the washed-up river weed on one side of the river.
Geoffrey said: “There used to be a whole group of swans, we had egrets, little grebes and kingfishers, but two or three years ago it all disappeared - it’s absolute madness.
“A lady used to feed the ducks here every day – but there’s no ducks to feed anymore. I don’t think it was necessary to steal all the water from here - they’ve turned a chalk stream into a clay river. It’s a complete mess – an environmental disaster.”
Diana added: “It just makes us so cross that our nice little world has been turned upside down. It used to be quite magical.”
The Environmental Agency has been contacted for comment.
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