Consultation on Review of Cuttle Brook Local Nature Reserve Management Plan

The Cuttle Brook Local Nature Reserve (the Reserve) that exists today is the result of 30 plus years of good management, planning and work by a dedicated group of volunteers. It’s now time to review and update the current Reserve Management Plan (2019-2024) to ensure the nature reserve continues to thrive. 

As part of the review process, the Cuttle Brook Volunteers, in partnership with Thame Town Council, are inviting you to revisit the current plan, and submit your thoughts on how you see the future development of the Reserve and what you think should be included in the next plan period 2025-2029.

During the last plan period, the Reserve management has increasingly been focused on improvements to the freshwater environment, as well as maintaining the tremendous progress that has been made across the Reserve.

The ‘watery’ focus will continue into the next plan period with an exciting suite of projects coming forwards in association with the River Thame Conservation Trust and recently approved by the Environment Agency.

This will include:

• the creation of more ‘scrapes’ and linking them to our existing fish refuges;
• improvements to the substrate of stretches of the brook to improve flows and to help fish and invertebrates;
• in-stream habitat structures to manage low-flows better so that there is less silt deposited and more natural scour; and
• careful reduction of the amount of overhanging trees and shrubs.

A great success, though seldom seen, is the regular use of the Reserve by the iconic creature – the otter. During the next five years we also hope to make strong progress towards the re-establishment of another iconic species, one that we sadly lost from the area about 25 years ago.

Rycote and Nontron Meadows offer potential for the reintroduction of Water Voles: It’s an opportunity that the Volunteers are keen to pursue, but it will mean addressing one of the most significant, and growing, challenges that we face in managing the Reserve, that is, how to cope with the ever-increasing numbers of dogs being exercised in the Reserve. We would be very interested to hear your thoughts as to how we manage the estimated 30,000+ dog visits made every year.

So, please read the current management plan and let us have your thoughts and suggestions as to how you would like to see the Reserve managed during the next five years.

The consultation opens on Thursday 5 December 2024 and closes on Wednesday 8 January 2025. All contributions to the consultation will be considered and a new draft Plan produced and presented to the Town Council for adoption at the end of January 2025.

Comments can be submitted to: info@cuttlebrook.org.uk