THE river running through Salisbury city centre is just one area of the River Avon where work has been carried out to help biodiversity and public enjoyment of the River Avon.

The Living River Project, a £1 million project funded by the heritage lottery fund, is now in its final year and, already, there are obvious improvements to the banks of the river outside the city library, alongside Sainsbury’s and between Crane Street and Fisherton Bridge.

In some of these places, bare walls at the side of the river have been transformed into rolling banks of natural riverside vegetation using Coir rolls as a base to create more of a bank.

Living River project manager, Eva Stuetzenberger, pointed out the area outside Sainsbury’s and said: “Here, there was a huge problem with erosion, and there was no area for wildlife, just a grassy bank.

“It looks more like a natural river here now, and we have water voles too.”

The creation of a more natural bank to the river is just one area the project has focused on.

The biodiversity part of the project also deals with invasive plants such as Himalayan balsam, Japanese knotweed and giant hogweed and river managers, fisheries, councils, the Wildlife Trusts, the Environment Agency and members of the public have come together to develop a management plan for these.

The project has also improved access to the river for people, and has worked to engage people with the river.

Volunteers from BTCV, and employees from Friends Provident and HSBC, are just some of the groups which have helped restore the river, and others have enjoyed various art and educational activities associated with the river.

Outside the library, there are photographs taken by local people for a photography competition for Salisbury Festival, showing what they think of the river. Three large sculptures have also been created by local artists and reside in Solstice Park. Another project to be installed soon is a webcam in the river with a screen in the children’s section of the library so children can view life under, and on top of, the water.

Eva Stuetzenberger said: “The main restoration work is now complete. We are now focusing on the last bit of community work, which will involve attending parish council meetings, installing interpretation boards, benches and dipping platforms.

“We are working with parish councils to put river management into their parish strategies to look after the river long after the project has gone. We are going to develop guidance protocols for river restoration and working with communities.”

The Living River Project is led by Natural England and supported by Salisbury International Arts Festival, Wiltshire Council, Salisbury City Council, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, Hampshire County Council, Wessex Water and the Environment Agency.