Our Values
- Sustainability – we will champion sustainable development
- Fairness – all profits are reinvested delivering nature-positive projects within the Thames Basin
- Community – Local communities are at the core of our work
Vision
- To ensure that all communities in the Thames Basin can benefit from healthy, biodiverse and accessible Blue/Green spaces.
- To champion sustainable development where mitigation and compensation for works impacting watercourses are delivered locally
Mission
- Work with Landowners and Local Authorities to restore river and stream sites. Creating biodiversity units to be sold and help fund further restoration.
- Work with developers to reduce the impact of any development on watercourses, where this is not possible, then facilitate compensation as close as possible.
Who We Are - A collaborative partnership with a common goal
Chris Coode - Chair
John Bryden - Director
John Bryden - Director
Chris is the CEO of Thames21 and a passionate advocate for rivers, particularly in urban areas. He brings a wealth of experience, particularly around governance and community engagement.
John Bryden - Director
John Bryden - Director
John Bryden - Director
John is a Regional Development Manager at the Rivers Trust. He has extensive experience in delivering river restoration, wetland, and SuDS projects. John has been key to driving this project forward, from the initial concept through to the present day.
Tom Gall - Director
John Bryden - Director
Adam Ellis - Director
Tom is an Ecosystem Services Data Analyst at the Rivers Trust. He brings a wealth of experience on utilising natural capital marketplaces to fund floodplain restoration.
Adam Ellis - Director
Maddie Crabb - River BNG Specialist
Adam Ellis - Director
Adam is the managing director at For the Love of Water (FLOW) CIC and has been monitoring and restoring rivers since 2005. Adam brings a range of skills to the CIC, including business development, governance, and occasionally gets out to do a River Condition Assessment or two.
Carolina Orlandi - Technical Lead
Maddie Crabb - River BNG Specialist
Maddie Crabb - River BNG Specialist
Carolina is the River Restoration Programme Manager at Thames21. Carolina is an environmental scientist specialised in freshwater management and river restoration. She works in the areas of research, diagnosis, monitoring and recovery of degraded aquatic environments.
Maddie Crabb - River BNG Specialist
Maddie Crabb - River BNG Specialist
Maddie Crabb - River BNG Specialist
Maddie is a Senior Environmental Consultant at For the Love of Water (FLOW) CIC. She leads the feasibility and design of our river restoration projects, as well as compliance with the Construction Design Management Regulations 2015.
The Story so Far....
2021-2024
The team at Thames21 identified a potential funding gap in river restoration and successfully won a competitive bid process to access the Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund (NEIRF). This led to a two-year project examining the viability of a 'London River Bank', collaborating with local authorities to restore rivers using income from the sale of Biodiversity Net Gain Units.
February 2024
Mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain became live.
April to August 2025
With funding from the Esmee Fairbourn Foundation and support from the Rivers Trust and London Borough of Lewisham, we are now in the final development phase of the project. We are developing watercourse units and finalising governance and legal agreements.
November 2025
The River Habitat Bank CIC is born, we were sad to lose the 'London River Bank' name, but the business model made more sense when operating at the wider geographical range. Our roots are still in London, but we're now operating across the wider Thames Basin and beyond. We're currently working hard on designs and consenting for 'on the ground' delivery of watercourse units early 2026.
January 2026
This is the planned date to move the CIC from development to full trading, watch this space! In the meantime, please get in touch if you want to reserve watercourse units.
Our Partners
