A MAJOR project to mitigate flood risk along the River Skell near Fountains Abbey has been successful in its first round of funding.

The project is being spearheaded by the National Trust and Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and has been given the green light in its first round funding application to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

The Skell Valley Project will combat the effects of the River Skell on the landscape up and downstream from UNESCO World Heritage Site Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal.

The Skell catchment is an area of high flood risk; the last significant flood in 2007 had devastating effects on the ruins of Fountains Abbey, the historic features of the water garden and downstream in Ripon.

The river also suffers from high levels of siltation, which has a direct effect on priority species like white-clawed crayfish, otters, dippers, kingfishers and yellow wagtail.

The innovative project will see the National Trust and its partners work with farmers to tackle flood management and improve the river’s water quality, as well as encouraging wildlife to return and thrive. The project will help to reconnect Ripon residents with unexplored heritage and history on their doorsteps, with activity days for schools and community groups, as well as new walking and cycling trails. One such community project, developed alongside ‘Friends of Hell Wath Nature Reserve,’ will restore the reserve’s natural habitats, repairing the Fairy Steps in Ripon and improving access.

The Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded the project an initial £128,900 for development, which will be match-funded by the National Trust, the AONB and its partners.

The funding will be used to commission surveys along the river and develop community projects with input from local residents. Detailed proposals will then be considered by HLF at the second round in 2020, where a final decision is made on the full funding application of £1.4 million.

If the second round of funding is successful, this will be match-funded by the Trust, AONB and its partners, taking the total cost of the project to £2.5 million.

World Heritage Site Co-ordinator and Conservation Manager Sarah France said “The Skell valley inspired one of the most ambitious designed landscapes ever created at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal.

"But beyond its borders lies a riverbank bursting with unexplored and often neglected places like Chinese Wood and Eavestone Lake.

"This project will reinvent the landscape, making it more accessible, more open and more inclusive.”

“The River Skell flows through the heart of the landscape, but historic sites and homes have been hit by serious flooding several times in recent years, and if we don’t find a different way to look after the valley, its irreplaceable heritage could disappear for ever.

"Unfortunately floods like these are not one-offs - we estimate that the National Trust has spent around £2.5 million dealing with the issue since it acquired the Fountains estate in 1983.”