Essex & Suffolk Water is celebrating the success of its groundbreaking Bluespaces programme, which has already helped partners deliver significant environmental and community benefits across the region.
Between 2020 and 2025, Essex & Suffolk Water has invested over half a million pounds through a total of 59 projects designed and delivered through partners that has improved 248.1km of accessible water environments, including rivers, lakes, wetlands, and coastlines.
In Essex and Suffolk:
- Over 1,300 trees have been planted boosting biodiversity and supporting climate resilience. 850 of these were planted by the River Waveney Trust, forming a habitat strip along the Tin River, River Waveney between Suffolk and Norfolk.
- 415.9 hectares of new wetland have been created, providing vital habitats for wildlife and boosting climate resilience. This includes the creation of a new wetland site located on the outskirts of Lowestoft. The Carlton Marshes wetland is accessible to the public via 16km of footpaths and boardwalks, supports and improves wildlife and biodiversity, and provides extensive visitor and recreational facilities.
- There was huge support from communities, with locals pitching in for over 2,000 volunteer days. This included tackling invasive species along the Gores Brook and replacing these areas with riparian habitat, and litter picking along the Tin River.
- To improve accessibility and enjoyment, 65 new benches, seats, or signs have been installed across the region. This includes improvements along the River Roding in Essex, where a hand carved bench was installed to represent river wildlife, and additional signage was created encouraging a walking route through 8 local farmers’ land.
- 28 in-channel or fish passage features were created to support healthier, more connected waterways for wildlife.
‘Bluespaces’ are areas in and around water that are freely accessible to the public including streams, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, ponds, wetlands, canals, beaches, and other aquatic habitats. They are vital for biodiversity and offer important spaces for recreation, education, and wellbeing.
Clementine Moule, Bluespaces Lead at Essex & Suffolk Water, said: “Through our Bluespaces programme, we’ve made tremendous strides in enhancing our region’s precious water environments while bringing communities closer to nature.
“From planting thousands of trees to improving access and wildlife connectivity, these projects are about more than just the environment. They’re about creating spaces where people and nature thrive together.
“We’re proud of what we’ve achieved so far and are excited to build on this momentum to deliver even greater environmental and social benefits in the years ahead.”
Last month, the business held a celebration event at Lumley Castle, one of the new and upcoming project sites. In attendance was Heidi Mottram, CEO of Northumbrian Water Group, who delivered an insightful overview of Bluespaces to stakeholders, and presented awards to celebrate the hard work of partners that have achieved excellence in their delivery of projects, recognising successes of the programme.
For more information on the environmental priorities of Essex & Suffolk Water, you can read the environmental strategy on: Environment strategy