Works have started at Grassmoor Country Park on the ‘Slow the Flow to the Calow’ project. Situated just south of Chesterfield town centre in Derbyshire, works get underway this month at the restored colliery that will contribute to reducing local flood risk, enhancing wildlife habitat, and increasing visitor interest.
Grassmoor Country Park, which is owned by Derbyshire County Council, was chosen because it not only offered areas for the Natural Flood Management scheme, but also because there was opportunity to enhance the park as a habitat for local wildlife.
Councillor Carolyn Renwick, Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Environment, said:
“This is a great project which will improve the park for the benefit of visitors and wildlife. As well as reducing the risk of flooding to local communities, it will improve biodiversity by establishing new habitats which will help absorb carbon from the atmosphere in line with our work to help tackle climate change .”
The scheme, which has been developed in partnership with Derbyshire County Council, the Environment Agency, the Friends of Grassmoor and Don Catchment Rivers Trust, has been designed to slow the rate of rainwater run off through the park into the Calow Brook, which in turn runs into the Spital Brook and then the main River Rother.
Anthony Downing, Catchment Coordinator, Environment Programme, at the Environment Agency said:
“The impacts of climate change mean flooding is becoming more frequent and pressures on the natural environment are increasing. We need to work with the landscape more to provide resilience to these changes. The work on Grassmoor will slow the flow of run-off during storms helping to reduce the risk of flooding to communities downstream in Chesterfield. It also creates some great habitat to improve biodiversity and a better environment for the enjoyment of many visitors to the park.
“This project has been a great example of partnership working and will deliver many benefits to the environment. It provides a model for delivering nature based solutions which we will use across the Don and Rother catchment through our Source to Sea programme.”
The scheme has been several years in the making and will include the creation of temporary and semi-permanent ponds, marshy grasslands and wet woodland. These new features will collect and temporarily store rainfall and runoff during storms, helping to slow the flow of water into the river network which can get overwhelmed and cause flooding. They will also increase the availability of water within the landscape during times of drought providing vital lifelines for wildlife and plant life, the need for which has been made abundantly clear this summer.
Dr Debbie Coldwell, Natural Flood Manager at Don Catchment Rivers Trust said:
“Working with nature to create features that help to slow flows into our rivers is an immensely valuable way of reducing flood risk. The more of these features we have in the landscape, the better. They compliment hard engineered flood defences such as flood walls and gates by reducing the pressure on them, increasing their longevity and reducing costs. The scheme at Grassmoor Country Park is a great example of how we can use existing, well-loved spaces to help reduce flood risk, boost wildlife habitat, and improve visitor access and interest. “
Because of the nature of the project, some areas of the park may look muddy and a bit stark immediately after the contractors have finished. The project team want to reassure park users that this will be temporary, and that areas will be re-seeded in autumn and spring with diverse meadow mixes to enhance the variety of plant species within the park. To supplement the scheme, dozens of new trees will also be planted creating a wet woodland, a much-threatened habitat in the UK.
There are lots of opportunities to get involved with the project with volunteer days in the autumn and spring to help with seeding and planting as well as surveys to monitor the impact of the works. No experience is needed and all abilities are welcome – check out www.dcrt.org.uk or email [email protected] to find out more.
Notes for editors:
Contact:
This press release was created by Don Catchment Rivers Trust, on behalf of all our project partners. For further information, and to arrange a site visit or photography please initially contact Rachel Walker, Project Manager at Don Catchment Rivers Trust. [email protected] | 01302 439081 | 07825 706611.
Our partners and funders:
The project is being funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Green Recovery Challenge Fund and the Environment Agency.
The project partners are Don Catchment Rivers Trust, Friends of Grassmoor, Derbyshire County Council and the Environment Agency
The scheme designer is Penny Anderson Associates and is being delivered by Ebsford Environmental. Support consultants are Visio Management and Callidus.
Don Catchment Rivers Trust is a charity (number 1134414) dedicated to improving the rivers in the Don Catchment. We are part of The Rivers Trust – the national umbrella organisation for local River Trusts. After building six fish passes in the centre of Sheffield, the majority being part of the heritage lottery funded ‘Living Heritage of the River Don’ project, the Trust has been a partner in the development of the Masbrough fish pass project, and is now leading on the delivery of the project.
