Nature and people to benefit from a £2.6 million environmental project in West Yorkshire
Work has started on a two year £2.6 million natural flood management[1] project in West Yorkshire led by the National Trust to help protect homes and nurture wildlife devastated by the Boxing Day floods of 2015[2].
The aim is to reduce the risk of flooding to over 3,000 homes and businesses in Todmorden, Hebden Bridge, Marsden and surrounding areas.
Taking learnings from the conservation charity’s success with a similar scheme at the Holnicote Estate in Somerset, this will be one of the biggest investments of its kind to date in England.
The work at Hardcastle Crags and Wessenden Valley, part of Marsden Moor, both cared for by the National Trust; and Gorpley Reservoir, looked after by Yorkshire Water and the Woodland Trust; will use a combination of natural interventions to slow the flow of water along the Colne and Calder river catchments.
With £1.3 million Growth Deal funding from the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP), delivered by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and £1.3 million either in funds or in-kind support from other partners including The Forestry Commission, Moors For The Future Partnership, Environment Agency, Woodland Trust, Yorkshire Water, Calderdale Council, Slow The Flow Calderdale, Treesponsibility and other community groups, plans include the planting of 151 hectares of new woodland at Gorpley Reservoir and in the Wessenden Valley, the restoration of 85 hectares of peat bogs, heath and Molinia (moor grass) and the construction of over 650 “leaky dams”.