Work to start on nature reserve revamp
WORK will start this month on restoring a major tributary of the River Soar in Leicester.
The Saving the Saffron Brook projecthas received just over £800,000 from the government to improve the heavily-degraded river ecosystems along Saffron/Wash Brook, which runs through the south of the city from neighbouring Oadby and Wigston.
The work will involve felling diseased trees to open up glades and encourage biodiversity, along with a combination of cutting back some species, planting other native tree species in targeted areas, improving access and restoring pathways.
The Knighton Spinney nature reserve is one of the initial areas of conservation work, which will also include the area around Overdale School, the Washbrook Nature Area and Hughenden Drive, as well as Oadby’s Brocks Hill Country Park, Lucas Marsh and Fludes Lane, along with other sites selected to support vulnerable species of wildlife.
Deputy city mayor for environment and transportation, Councillor Adam Clarke, said: “Projects such as this help to manage and protect the city’s valuable natural habitats in a way which supports local wildlife and preserves these sites for future generations as havens of peace and quiet within the city.”
Alongside the city council and the Trent Rivers Trust, partners in Saving the Saffron Brook include Oadby and Wigston Borough Council, NatureSpot, Knighton Wild, Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust.
The £807,800 project builds on earlier work including the 2021 Leicester Biodiversity Action Plan and 2019 Leicester Riverside Environmental Strategy, which highlighted the need for restoration work.
It is one of 90 nature-based projects across the UK to benefit from the second round of the government’s
Green Recovery Challenge Funding, designed to boost green jobs and nature recovery.
In total it will improve and restore about 2,300 metres of river habitat and over 500m of riverbank, as well as planting about two hectares of woodland, creating 1.3 hectares of wetland and two hectares of speciesrich
grassland to boost local biodiversity.
The project will also create or improve up to 2,000 metres of footpaths, improving access along the river and bringing communities closer to nature.
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IMPROVEMENTS ARE PART OF RIVER SOAR TRIBUTARY RESTORATION