Sponsored by
Residents have their say on £20,000 Beck project
TOWNSFOLK have been airing their views on planned improvements for Driffield's Beck which could add value to properties and boost local wildlife.
Over 40 people have turned out for a public consultation on the proposed Driffield Water Forlorns Improvement Project which could get underway as early as next spring.
The project, which has secured 20,000 of funding from the Environment Agency, is being spearheaded by the East Yorkshire Chalk Rivers Trust who have teamed up with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, Driffield Partnership and Driffield Town Council.
EYCRT hope the project will improve the landscape, biodiversity and status of the wild trout of Water Forlorns, while re-connecting the community with its "lost river" by creating a "valuable wildlife corridor running through the heart of the town."
Alan Mullinger, director of the East Yorkshire Chalk Rivers Trust, believes the improved Beck will not only add value to nearby properties but will also protect waterlife by deterring developers from covering over parts of it.
The Beck is home to various rare and protected types of fish including brown trout and bullheads as well as attracting other forms of wildlife such as Pied Wagtails and Kingfishers.
Mr Mullinger and his colleague David Croft were on hand to answer any queries about the project during the one day public consultation event held at the Driffield Partnership Offices, on Market Walk, on Wednesday.
Helen Morrison, whose home on St John's Place backs onto the Beck has welcomed the plans and hopes it will encourage further green enhancements to the town.
"I think it's a very positive thing for the town and the environment."
"It's time we had something other than housing estates and buildings because we are surrounded by countryside and we don't want to lose it all," she said.
Planned improvements include the use of "low-tech soft engineering techniques" to clean the gravel bed of the stream of all debris such as bricks, imported stoned and concrete and create a meandering low flow channel within the existing concrete stream bed.
The natural gravel material displaced will then be used to form margins within the channel and the new low level shelf will be set at no more than 10cm above the mean summer levels to maintain channel capacity.
This would create a "sinous low flow channel" that allows the stream to overtop the narrowed channel in the rare event of elevated levels caused by winter floods.
The edges of the river could be "greened-up" by creating new bank side margins that could be planted up with various pot grown plants typically found in the more rural areas of chalk rivers.
Jenny Agmew, of King Street, who several years ago used to help clean up the Beck as part of a small team of volunteers, said the proposals were "absolutely fantastic" provided it is kept litter free.
"It's the centre of the town, why not keep it nice?"
"People come to our car park and what do they see? Rubbish and weeds," she added.
Mr Mullinger said feedback from the public overall had been positive but a few concerns had been raised regarding potential flooding.
"Broadly I'm pleased with the public's reception to the plans. There have been a few people who thought we were going to cause flooding but when we have gone through all the applications from the council and Environment Agency we will address all these concerns," he said.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Driffield
Thursday 17 May 2012
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 7 C to 10 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 8 C to 11 C
Wind Speed: 25 mph
Wind direction: East
