Phase Two of the Holt Weir Fish Pass Completed Using Legato Blocks
Phase two of the 'Unlocking the Severn' fish pass project at Holt Weir was completed in March 2022. Over 900 Elite Legato interlocking blocks proved crucial on a remote, restricted-access site.
- Client
- Land and Water Group Ltd
- Location
- Holt Weir, River Severn, Worcestershire
- Result
- Over 900 Legato blocks enabled phase two of the Holt Weir fish pass to be completed on time despite a remote, restricted-access site.
In March 2022 phase two of works on the 'Unlocking the Severn' fish pass project at Holt Weir, along the River Severn in Worcestershire were completed. The use of Elite Precast Concrete's Legato Interlocking blocks proved to be a crucial element in the completion of the project.
Home to many different species of fish, the River Severn is the longest river in the UK. The 'Unlocking the Severn' project, which has been funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the European Union LIFE programme is expected to cost around £19.7m.
One of the largest river restoration projects of its kind in Europe the scheme has been designed to help boost the recovery of fish stocks. A number of weirs, built in Victorian times to aid the transport of goods along the river, have caused fish migratory routes to be blocked, this in turn has led to the decline of fish stocks.
The project however wasn't without its challenges! Due to the remote location and restricted access of the fish pass the use of steel shuttering and wet concrete was going to be time consuming, impractical and expensive.
Land and Water Group Ltd, one of the main sub-contractors on the project, contacted Elite Precast Concrete and asked if they could help. Elite suggested that the use of their Legato interlocking concrete blocks might well be the answer.
Because the blocks are cast off-site their installation is not weather dependent and due to their size they were relatively easy to transport to the area and install. Over 900 Legato blocks were used in the end to complete the project.
In this latest phase Land & Water carried out a range of activities from the Legato block installation to concrete works in order to build the fish pass which is essential for the migration of fish to their spawning grounds upstream.
"Elite were a pleasure to work with and played a major part in the successful completion of this complex project. The Legato blocks were the ideal solution and enabled us to complete the project on time."
— Liam Williams, Site Manager, Land and Water Group Ltd