Can catchment management planning deliver urban river restoration?

David Lerner University of Sheffield, Aire Rivers Trust & Friends of ’s Becks The

• Aire Rivers Trust • Invited by Defra to lead preparation of a Catchment Management Plan for the

The Rivers and Becks of Bradford

River Wharfe Beck Silsden River Aire Morton of Bradford Beck Metropolitan District Loadpit Urban area Beck Gill Beck River Aire Catchment boundary Bradford Beck Shipley catchment Bradford

Bradford Beck

Queensbury

River Spen Bradford Beck

• 225 000 population • 60 km2 • A typical urban stream

flood risk

Misconnections effects urban area

flytipping

canalised

underground industry Existing Beck (1)

Under the city centre 1900s culvert under Canal Rd

Ecological desert – 1.5 km chute Propping up the city centre Existing Beck (2)

Redundant culvert Misconnections

Flood bypass meets river In need of maintenance Existing Beck (3) Past engagement

• Environment Agency – Incident responses – “forgotten” in WFD • Water – As required by EA Institutions Public • Bradford drainage – Flooding • Bradford regeneration – Fine words Friends of Riparian – “Don’t inhibit development” … owners • Voluntary groups – Virtually none • Riparian owners – Mainly ignorant or abusive Making a plan

Steering Group Sampling campaign Advisory, Facilitated consultations contacts, data Volunteers at Final production EA, YW, 20 spots x 8 Visions, basic CBMDC, YWT visits information Designers Generated Actions public interest Adjusted (and data) Prioritisation wordings

NB: no formal buy-in by Institutions We have a plan!

We want Visible becks

We want We want Clean Accessible becks becks Better Becks ↕ Better Bradford We want a We want Water- Thriving wise city becks

We want Cared-for becks Twelve activity areas

• A demonstration of river renaturalisation • Addressing water quality issues • Friends of Bradford Beck • Collaborative catchment management • Encouraging water stewardship by businesses • Signage and interpretation • Nature trails and Beck improvement • Footpaths and cycle routes • Looking after the tributaries and wetlands • Schools and educational activities • Flood risk management strategy • Invasive species control Will it deliver through collaborative catchment management?

• Projects and volunteers • Cautious support • No money • A demonstration of renaturalisation • Encouraging water stewardship by ART & businesses EA • Signage FOBB • Footpaths and cycle routes • Addressing water quality issues CBMDC YW

• “premature” • Initially ignored • See cuttings • Cautious support • Developers • No investment A demonstration of renaturalisation

– More attractive – More visible – Better ecology – More flood capacity

A Water-wise Charter for riparian owners • Non-confrontational, non regulatory • Reward based – Certificate – Annual dinner – Publicity • Peer-pressure to join • Free inspections and advice – EA, water company, Council? – Trained volunteers?

Addressing water quality - misconnections Site Becks NH4 P BOD Cr Iron Zinc • Combined 17 Pitty Beck u/s sewers 16 Pitty Beck d/s 18 Pinch/Clayton Beck u/s • 59 CSOs 19 Pinch/Clayton Beck d/s • Permanent 14 Chellow Dene 12 Westbrook u/s discolouration 11 Westbrook d/s • Needs a 10 Eastbrook campaign! 8 5 Trap Sike 4 Redbeck 15 BB (Pinch + Pitty Becks) 13 d/s of BB15

9 BB13 + Westbrook & Chellow Dene 7 BB9 + Eastbrook & Bowling B 6 BB7 + Lister Park 3 BB6 + Trap Sike 2 BB3 + Redbeck 1 Shipley 2 Signage

Will we deliver urban river restoration? • Sad stream • Poor city • High level plan • No formal buy-in ART & EA • Council resistant: FOBB – Benefits not sufficient – Might put off developers CBMDC YW – Not invented here • We will! – Just take a while, possibly a lifetime or two 14TH ANNUAL NETWORK CONFERENCE

Scaling up our Aspirations for River Restoration and Management

The RRC would like to thank the sponsors of the RRC Annual Conference 2013 who support discounted places

[email protected] 01234 752979 www.therrc.co.uk