Major plans are moving forwardA visual of the potential fish pass at Arlington National Trust Images_NPA Visuals

The National Trust is moving forward with plans to install a fish and eel pass at Arlington Court in North Devon, opening up over six kilometres of the River Yeo to endangered Atlantic salmon and European eel for the first time in nearly 200 years.

The project forms part of a wider initiative, Arlington Lake Reimagined, which will re-create a more natural river channel within the old lake basin. This decision follows decades of siltation that has significantly reduced the lake’s surface area, with only around 10% of the original water body remaining today.

The project has been developed following extensive consultation and guidance from professional bodies including Natural England, Historic England, the Environment Agency, Devon Gardens Trust, and North Devon Council. It has also been shaped by feedback from local communities and ecological specialists, including the West Country Rivers Trust.

The new fish and eel pass will allow migratory species to reach historic spawning grounds upstream, while the reimagined river channel will stabilise sediment, reduce downstream pollution risk, and improve aquatic habitats.

The project also aims to protect the rare lichen-rich wet woodland in the northern lake basin, designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and will include monitoring and mitigation to maintain the delicate conditions required by these internationally important species. Existing wildlife habitats will be enhanced and new habitat created with an ambition to reintroduce water voles.

A visual of the potential fish pass at Arlington National Trust Images_NPA Visuals

Arlington Court’s countryside manager Josey Field says: “Rosalie Chichester – the last owner of Arlington Court – valued nature deeply and created her own nature reserve in the Arlington grounds. She bequeathed the estate to the National Trust in the 1940s asking for her nature reserve to be maintained. Enhancing this section of river at the old lake and opening up the river for fish and eels to move freely, honours Rosalie’s memory and is a vital part of our ongoing vision to create a thriving landscape for both wildlife and people to enjoy.”

The Trust undertook a rigorous feasibility study, assessing multiple options including dredging and dam removal. The chosen approach – modifying the dam outlet while retaining the historic dam and carriageway – was selected for its balance of ecological benefit, heritage preservation, and long-term sustainability. It also significantly reduces the risk of dam failure and downstream flooding, considering increasing climate pressures.

The project will also enhance visitor access, including improvements to the 19th-century carriageway and the extension of the mobility-friendly ‘Tramper’ route. Historic views will be reopened, and interpretation will be provided to help visitors understand the evolving story of the Arlington landscape.

The river Yeo at Arlington Court was dammed in the 1820s and a lake was created by flooding fields tenanted by the local blacksmith Edward Delve. The lake was extended in the 1850s when the existing dam was built. Since then the north part of the lake basin has silted up and become an important wet woodland habitat for rare lichen.

The National Trust has dredged the southern end of the lake basin to remove silt build up every twenty to thirty years since the 1950s, but the lake has continued to silt up and today only around 10% of the original surface area remains. The dam has also prevented fish movement along the river.

Some funding for the project has been provided by the Environment Agency and the Water Restoration Fund, which reinvests money from water company environmental fines into projects that improve the water environment.

The plans can be viewed on North Devon Council’s planning portal.