The Newport section of the Newport-Norbury Canal was restored to water in 1966 and soon supporting a rare aquatic community and forming a high quality and much-loved green space in town. In 1986 the linear waterway of the canal and wetland margins were declared a SSSI in recognition of this.  Unfortunately, over the years the area had been in steady decline due to deteriorating water quality and loss of water depth from siltation. 

The Newport Recovery Project involved the sensitive dredging of sections of this canal, putting careful environment protection measures in place to minimise the impact on wildlife.  This first phase was carried out and successfully completed October 2019.

Phase 2 of this project  was completed in November 2020 and included further removal of silt from another  section of the historic Newport-Norbury Canal to improve the water quality and provide ecological and environmental benefits.  This section of works involved the clearance of the canal basin at Newport Wharf which dated back to 1830 and was a key link in the canal network responsible for the growth of the town of Newport in Shropshire.

The WM Longreach team worked closely with Shropshire Wildlife Trust ecologist to ensure adherence to legislation regarding the protection of wildlife and the rare plants during the works.   Pollution was minimised through good management, coordinating with the client to sample and monitor water quality ensuring no contamination.

During dredging works it was important to keep as much public access as possible to the tow paths etc. so banksman at key crossing areas were always provided to ensure members of the public could be escorted through the site safely.