Michelle
Dolphin - 31-Jan-2008 - The Environment
Agency’s Operations Delivery Team will be
undertaking routine maintenance work to
reduce flood risk along the Wesley Brook
through the town of Shifnal over the next
two weeks or so.
Work begins next Monday,
4 February 2008, and is expected to be finished
by the end of the month.
They will be removing
blockages and dead trees, and trimming back
vegetation to keep the brook flowing freely.
When they have finished
work in Shifnal, the team will be continuing
this work downstream, along the Wesley Brook
to the confluence with the River Worfe.
Team Leader, Richard
Bentley, says “We continually carry out
clearance work on brooks and streams to
remove blockages and excess vegetation to
make sure watercourses are flowing freely.
This reduces flood risk to local communities
such as Shifnal.
“This work is especially
important following periods of heavy rain
when branches and other debris are washed
down rivers and frequently end up blocking
bridges and culverts.
“Primarily, it is the
landowner’s responsibility to keep the bed
and banks of a watercourse clear of debris.
However, if the work isn't done and this
puts people at risk of flooding, we will
step in to keep communities safe.“
+ More
Awards Nominations for
inspiring Environment Agency schemes
Head Office Press Office
- 30-Jan-2008 - Two exciting Environment
Agency-led projects are just one step away
from scooping national honours after reaching
the finals of this year’s prestigious Waterways
Renaissance Awards.
The Clean Becks Campaign
and Hemlington Lakes Angling Improvements
Scheme (first phase), both Middlesbrough-based,
outshone a host of entries to make the last
stage of The Waterways Trust and British
Urban Regeneration Association-run awards,
which celebrate best practice in sustainable
waterway regeneration and development.
The Clean Becks Campaign
is one of two finalists in the Natural England-sponsored
Natural Environment category, while Hemlington
Lake is up against two other schemes in
the Defra-backed Community section.
Both schemes are part
of the Environment Agency’s Tees Valley
Project, an initiative aimed at making the
environment a higher priority across the
region and improving it for the benefit
of both people and wildlife.
Tees Valley Project
manager Mike McNulty said: "To have
two schemes reach the Waterways Renaissance
Awards finals is a massive boost for everyone
involved. Both projects are great examples
of how the Environment Agency works with
partners and communities to create better
places and it’s wonderful to have this effort
and commitment recognised by others."
The winners will be
announced at a gala ceremony - hosted by
BBC News presenter Jim Hancock - at Manchester’s
Imperial War Museum North on Wednesday,
12 March.
The Clean Becks Campaign
- a partnership project involving the Environment
Agency, Middlesbrough Council and the Tees
Valley Wildlife Trust - tackles littering
and fly-tipping in the town’s becks (streams)
which flow into the River Tees.
The Environment Agency
recently took over responsibility for reducing
flood risk from the becks and established
that the vast amount of rubbish being dumped
in them was one of the main causes of potential
flooding. Council records showed that a
staggering 30 tonnes of waste was being
pulled out of Middlesbrough’s becks each
month.
As part of the scheme,
which is also funded by the Northumbria
Flood Defence Committee, sections of the
becks have been re-shaped and landscaped
to allow water to flow more freely and to
improve habitats. By improving these watercourses
and raising awareness among local people
of the problems caused by littering, the
becks are becoming a healthier habitat for
wildlife and the local community - and less
of a flood risk.
At Hemlington Lake,
a man-made flood storage reservoir connected
to Bluebell Beck on the outskirts of Middlesbrough,
the Environment Agency is working with professional
partners and the local community to improve
and promote fishing facilities and access,
while continuing to protect wildlife.
Thanks to funding from
the Environment Agency, Groundwork South
Tees, Middlesbrough Council and the Government’s
Neighbourhood Renewal Public Spaces Fund,
the first phase of works included the installation
of 17 fishing platforms made from recycled
plastic and increased access to the lake
for all visitors. Local residents have also
set up ‘Friends of Hemlington Lake’ and
are busy raising money to pay for promoting
the lake and surrounding parkland.
The Hemlington project
is generating both environmental and social
benefits - healthy fish stocks are the sign
of a healthy lake, while better facilities
are contributing to regeneration in the
area.
The Hemlington initiative
faces stiff competition from the Fielden
Wharf scheme in West Yorkshire, which involved
demolishing a derelict building to create
new green space, and the Pendle's Canal
Corridor Development Project, which regenerated
rundown canalside areas in this part of
Lancashire.
Meanwhile, the Clean
Becks Campaign is up against the Restoration
of Sinderland Brook and the Stamford Brook
Development. This Cheshire project involved
the de-canalisation of the brook and the
creation of a new green housing development
of approximately 700 homes.
Chief Executive of The
Waterways Trust Roger Hanbury said: "All
projects making the final list are excellent
examples of what can be achieved with vision,
commitment and partnership working."
The nominations were
judged by an independent assessment panel,
comprising waterway, conservation and regeneration
experts and chaired by the former chair
of English Heritage Sir Neil Cussons.
