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Epping Forest project to benefit local wildlife

Fahad Redha

February 6, 2026
3 min read

Epping Forest project to benefit local wildlife

One of the largest natural flood management projects in the southeast of England is underway in Epping Forest, the largest open space managed by City of London Corporation. Over the next year, 374 purposefully designed “leaky dams” will be installed in ditches and streams across “the Green Lungs of London” using natural materials including logs and branches. These will help to slow water flow during periods of heavy rain.

The vast majority of materials will come directly from Epping Forest itself. Timber generated through routine habitat management and the City’s ongoing habitat restoration programme, will be reused to construct the leaky dams. This includes “carefully planned” thinning and pollarding to restore wood-pasture habitats and maintain tree health, and will help to reduce waste and work with the forest’s natural processes.

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When completed, the project expects to hold around 10,000 cubic metres, or the equivalent of four Olympic-size swimming pools, of additional water within the forest. Each dam’s location has been “carefully selected,” using detailed hydrological modelling to predict how rainfall moves through the forest and identify the points where slowing water will have the biggest impact upstream.

In addition to protecting homes, this will also bring other benefits to Epping Forest and its wildlife. It supports tree health by retaining soil moisture and improving the forest’s resilience to drought during dry weather. Wetter habitats will be created allowing wildlife to “continue to thrive.” It will also reduce erosion caused by fast-flowing water and trap sediment before it moves downstream, thus improving water quality.

The project is supported by £200,000 Local Levy from the Thames Regional Flood and Coastal Committee’s Natural Flood Management programme, administered via the Environment Agency, and supported by an additional £150,000 from the City Corporation’s own Climate Action Strategy funds to deliver “climate-resilience benefits for local communities from Essex to London.”

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About Author

Fahad Redha

Fahad is the Content Editor at EyeOnLondon, overseeing the publication’s editorial output across news, culture, and lifestyle. With a background in journalism from the University of the Creative Arts, he brings a broad range of experience from local London reporting in Kensington & Chelsea, where he held roles including motoring, events, and health editor. At EyeOnLondon, Fahad plays a central role in shaping content and maintaining editorial standards. His work spans everything from daily news to feature coverage, with a particular strength in motoring and events. He also incorporates photography into his reporting, adding a visual layer to many of his stories. Fahad joined EyeOnLondon in February 2021.