SPARC Project Documents

All the guidance, reports and other materials produced during the course of the SPARC project are available to download here in PDF format. In each case a short introduction is given followed by the download link.

Project Magazine

A project magazine has been produced as an easy to read guide to SPARC, it's projects, and the transnational approach taken.

Project Magazine (PDF document, 8695k)
Project Magazine in German (PDF document, 8475k)
Project Magazine in Dutch (PDF document, 8739k)

Topic Guidance Notes

The reader is strongly advised to read the Project Magazine in conjunction with the Guidance Notes to get full benefit from the project.

A series of twelve "Topic Guidance Notes" have been produced to accompany the magazine. These are detailed analyses of the tools and methods that partners have tested in seeking to enhance strategic planning in river corridors, together with the benefits and issues associated with them. They include transferable tips that can be taken from the SPARC project experience, to use in river catchment planning trans-nationally.

The Topic Guidance Notes are arranged according to SPARC's fundamental principles:

1. Strategic river corridor planning (The need to be strategic)
   • Multiple use of land(PDF document, 262k)
   • Integration of river corridors in landscape design(PDF document, 182k)
   • Integration of catchment planning with other policies and strategies (PDF document, 188k)
   • River corridor management and EU directives (PDF document, 181k)
   • River catchment planning and economic benefits (PDF document, 350k)
2. Partnerships and co-operation in river corridor planning and management (The need to work in Partnership)
   • Involving local communities (PDF document, 365k)
   • Education and learning (PDF document, 275k)
   • Cross sector partnerships (PDF document, 257k)
3. Practical application of river corridor management (The need to demonstrate through practical application)
   • Creating and managing new habitats (PDF document, 287k)
   • Integrating and protecting cultural heritage (PDF document, 239k)
   • Monitoring environmental impacts (PDF document, 205k)
   • Long term maintenance and sustainability (PDF document, 253k)

Archaeology, Cultural Heritage, and the IGBA Toolkit

The Institute of Geo and Bio Archaeology (IGBA) at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam played a vital role in reviewing how the rest of the partners cared for the archaeological and cultural features in their projects and, from this, developed, a step by step guide to protecting archaeological features in river corridors known as the IGBA Toolkit.

• IGBA Toolkit(PDF document, 1058k)

• IGBA Report Larjean Gardens (PDF document, 3056k)
• IGBA Report Halker Wetland and Lake (PDF document, 6809k)
• IGBA Report Ganer and Omme Rivers (PDF document, 4338k)
• IGBA Report Runde Restoration A (PDF document, 6739k)
• IGBA Report Runde Restoration B (PDF document, 4549k)
• IGBA Report Runde Restoration B (In Dutch) (PDF document, 4467k)
• IGBA Report River Wietze (Pages 1 to 10) (PDF document, 5167k)
• IGBA Report River Wietze (Pages 11 to 30) (PDF document, 6909k)
• IGBA Report River Wietze Landscape Development (PDF document, 4414k)
• IGBA Report East Midlands Strategic River Corridors (PDF document, 850k)

SPARC Check Reports

Each partner demonstration project was assessed by peers from the other partner areas, as a means of reviewing the work of the project, how its activities were delivered against the SPARC aim and objectives, what actions could be taken to add more value, and what partners can learn from each other's activities.

The peer review was undertaken through a process called the "SPARC Check", which forms the backbone of the trans-national learning process for SPARC and was a major contributor to the Topic Guidance Notes.

• SPARC Check Report Gunnared (PDF document, 194k)
• SPARC Check Report Halkaer (PDF document, 186k)
• SPARC Check Report Wietze (PDF document, 206k)
• SPARC Check Report Runde (PDF document, 295k)
• SPARC Check Report East Midlands (PDF document, 811k)
• SPARC Check Report Ganer River (PDF document, 610k)

Technical Seminars

As part of project dissemination partners hosted a series of technical seminars on subjects relevant to strategic planning in river corridors. Proceedings from each seminar, which have also been used to inform the Topic Guidance Notes, are available below:

Sweden June 2006

Improvement of Water Quality Through Novel Solutions; Public Participation (PDF document, 187k)

Denmark September 2006

Creation of Wetlands; Promotion Of, and Information On Regeneration Schemes; Use of Economic Activities to Regulate Activities; Catchment Modelling (PDF document, 165k)

Netherlands November 2006

Monitoring of Sites for Below Ground Sediment Changes (PDF document, 182k)

Germany March 2007

Decision Support Systems; Wetland Creation (PDF document, 157k)

United Kingdom September 2007

Green Infrastructure; Creation and Monitoring of Bird Habitats (PDF document, 185k)

United Kingdom May 2008

Delivering EU legislation (PDF document, 172k)

Other documentation

This final section includes remaining promotional material and reports produced during the course of the project.

• SPARC Promotional Leaflet (PDF document, 298k)
• SPARC Newsletter May 2006 (PDF document, 287k)
• SPARC Newsletter Winter 2006 (PDF document, 595k)
• SPARC Promotional Postcard (PDF document, 270k)

• Report – Aiding Effective Working in Trans-national Teams (PDF document, 305k)
• Report – Beckingham Marshes Palaeo-environmental Report (PDF document, 4086k)

• IGBA_Report_River_Wietze_Landscape_Development.pdf (PDF document, 4414k)