Coleshill Mill, River Cole: Management assessment for Coleshill Mill
Date: November 2018
For: National Trust
Type: History and management options
The RRC were asked by the National Trust to provide a management options assessment for Coleshill Mill, Wiltshire. A leat was constructed to provide water to the mill and in the 1990s, restoration of the natural river course took place to divert the majority of flow away from the mill building to protect it from flooding. Now, the mill is used for demonstrations, but staff have found that operation of the mill has become increasingly difficult due to a reduction of flow.
The RRC assessment included a walkover of the site with other stakeholders to identify problems areas. Problems identified include cattle poaching, leakage of sluices and earth banks, and sediment/ vegetation accumulation reducing river channel capacity. A management report was compiled which contained a breakdown of the problem areas with short-, medium- and long-term action points that were assigned a cost value and priority band. Management options suggestions included: