River Freshney Update:
Since our meeting on the 29th September things have been developing in the background. A walk took place to look at the route a documentary filming crew of young people would take when the initial engagement of communities takes place in each ward the river runs through.
Contact has been made with other stakeholders including initial attempts at engaging land owners whose property includes the riparian land along the river.
It has been established that there are various sites where, with the necessary permissions, enhancements to the environment could be made.
This could include the placement of bird and bat boxes (Friends of the Freshney have already made some progress with this initiative on the Duke of York Gardens) and an initial wildlife survey to inform future initiatives. Other suggestions for urban areas would be welcome at this stage.
The anglers group have just about got their constitution sorted and are waiting for bank accounts and other administrative issues to be finalised before their inaugural meeting.
Following the meeting below is a draft description of the main aims of the consortium of groups:
1. To encourage and enhance the natural environment over the length of the River Freshney from source to mouth.
2. To actively encourage, through efficient partnership working, improvements in habitat, safety, flow, recreational activities and environmental and historical education.
3. To produce a document (Filmed and Written) to evaluate:
(a) How people in North East Lincolnshire perceive and engage with the river.
(b) The areas of the river which should be celebrated and more widely publicised.
(c) The potential for ecological and amenity development.
(d) The barriers to positive development on the river.
(e) The level of responsibility to be taken by the Authorities (Local and National) and ways the community can hold them to account.
(f) Initiatives already underway and how cooperation can enhance them.
(g) The potential role of community members in positive development.
Ward Areas.
From that the desired outcomes for each ward could be stated as follows:
1. Historical Education
2. Environmental improvement and education
3. Ecological education around species and habitat
4. The positive social outcomes of community input to the river project
I will take time here to thank Pete Allen from Green Futures who encapsulated most of the above from our wide ranging discussion on the day.
All of the above starts to align us with the requirements of the WREN Biodiversity fund and the Heritage Lottery Fund. There is still a long way to go but we are starting to pull a lot of small items together which will eventually make a pretty impressive whole project for a substantial bid.
If people have ideas in the meantime that they want to throw in to the mix please let me know.
John Mooney
No comments:
Post a Comment