Prep work for Salisbury River Park scheme completed
Trees have been cut down and a membrane put over the river bank
The huge River Park scheme for Salisbury will officially get underway next month - now the preliminary works have been finished.
Efforts have been underway since the start of the year to clear trees encroaching on the waterway and prepare the river banks.
That needed to be done before nesting season, and you might have also noticed a black membrane along the river, held down with sandbags.
The next phase will be the main construction work, which is due to start at the end of June.
WHAT IS SALISBURY RIVER PARK?
It's a scheme to help reduce the flood risk for 350 homes in Salisbury, along with around 100 businesses and a school.
The aim is to also improve our access to the waterway from the Maltings to the Fisherton Recreation Ground, and provide a better wildlife habitat too.
The Environment Agency, Wiltshire Council, Salisbury City Council and the Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership are working together on the project.
The key priorities have been listed as:
- Creating wildlife corridors and improving biodiversity
- Improving the recreational and amenity value of the area, creating green spaces that are more pleasant to move through and spend time in
- Promoting sustainable travel by expanding and improving the network of footpaths and cycle paths in the area, as well as improving the coach park
- Enabling growth and the regeneration of key development sites in the city centre
- Improving climate change resilience
- Enhancing the tourism offer in Salisbury
PROTECTING WILDLIFE NOW
As part of the prep work for the scheme, water voles living within the site have been trapped and relocated further along the River Avon near Ringwood.
The burrows they left behind have been destroyed and a membrane put down to stop any further burrowing there before the main construction work starts.
Specialist ecologists have been involved in the process throughout.
The excavation on the riverbanks also can't take place until July, to minimise any risk to juvenile fish living in the river.
Ron Curtis, Area Flood and Coastal Risk Manager at The Environment Agency said:
"We have reached the important stage of preparing the Salisbury River Park site ready for construction to begin later this year. This is the first step in providing better flood protection for the city. We know the devastating impact that flooding can have, which is why protecting people and communities is our top priority."
Cllr Dr Mark McClelland, Cabinet Member for Transport, Waste, Street Scene and Flooding at Wiltshire Council, said:
"It is a key priority for us that Wiltshire's natural beauty, its historic sites, houses and unique habitats and wildlife are protected and nurtured. The Salisbury River Park project is an exciting project which fully embraces these goals, and we look forward to works starting in earnest in the coming months."
Paddy Bradley, CEO Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership, said:
"We welcome the completion of this first stage of the work for the Salisbury River Park. The work undertaken will help create an attractive environment, increasing habitat and biodiversity for future generations to come whilst reducing the risk of flooding to the city. All measures have been taken to minimise the impact of this temporary loss of habitat and we look forward to seeing the improved wetland and woodland habitats and the rewilding of this internationally important chalk stream environment."