With United Futures, our partnership with Groundwork we have supported a project in Roughlee to improve an overgrown piece of land for community use.
Residents who live in Roughlee were affected by major work for two years, caused by the construction of our new £20 million Ridgaling water treatment works.
The work started in June 2005 and continued until landscaping was completed in July 2007. Impacts on the local community included:
• Large volumes of construction traffic on small village roads
• Temporary traffic lights causing traffic issues
• Road closures, and one way traffic systems
• Damage to some dry stone walls
• Disruption to local farmers where new pipelines were laid
We have improved a piece of land in the village, which is located near to the new water treatment works. It has been a real team effort, also involving our contractor KMI, Groundwork, members of the community, and staff and pupils from Roughlee Primary School.
The land is located near the river in the centre of the village and is within easy access of the village school. It was unused because it was completely overgrown. The project involved:
• clearing the overgrown riverside area
• removing Himalayan Balsam, a highly invasive, non-indigenous species
• slightly raising the area to prevent future flooding
• planting to create a nature meadow
• replacing a length of the existing fence with a new dry stone wall containing carved stone animals created by Roughlee Primary School children
• installing new railings within the wall.
The community now has access to the riverside, and the use of a new nature meadow, a lasting legacy for the village.