The Tyne Rivers Trust welcomed the decision of the Appeal Court yesterday, ending the uncertainty as to whether the Tyne & Wear Passenger Transport Authority?s plans to construct a second Tyne tunnel would be allowed to go ahead.
‘We were fully consulted during the preparation of the new tunnel plans and now look forward to continuing to work closely with TWPTA. Associated with the new tunnel were agreed safeguards that will minimise the impact on the quality of the water in the Tyne during the construction’ states Trust Chairman Andrew Davison.
‘The decision means that we can now prepare to deliver the projects that the TWPTA will fund to help secure the health of the river for generations to come. We have completed an extensive public consultation process to identify key projects and will be launching the first ever Strategic Action Plan for the Tyne Catchment in September’ he adds.
Prime among these projects are habitat improvements and a range of initiatives which will improve the health of the river and the enjoyment of it by its many users. Also planned is the construction
of a new fish pass at Hexhamto allow migratory fish, including salmon, sea trout and eels, better access to their spawning grounds on the upper reaches of the North and South Tyne. These projects are designed to be of aid to these fish in the unlikely instance that the new tunnel works causes harm as they pass through the estuary. In addition to this and subject to the necessary funding being made available from other sources, many other catchment projects will be carried out in the coming years by the Trust.
‘We have analysed what people have told us during the past twelve months to finalise our Strategic Action Plan,’ says Project Manager Archie Ruggles-Brise. ‘We have held meetings the length of the river system and heard from a wide range of interest groups, from walkers and bird watchers to canoeists and fishermen and many local residents. We hope to improve the enjoyment of the river and its catchment for all these groups in the coming years. The targeted funding that is available to us as a result of the decision to proceed with the new tunnel gives us a great start.’
The Tyne Rivers Trust will launch the Strategic Action Plan for the Tyne Catchment at Hexham Racecourse on 11th September. Work that the Trust is looking to do in the future include setting up River Watch – a network of volunteers to help monitor and manage the catchment and a Wild Angling Passport Scheme.
The Tyne Rivers Trust is a registered charitable trust established in March 2005 and works impartially to safeguard the health of the River Tyne and its tributaries and the enjoyment of them for future generations. The Trust aims to complement the work of statutory and other bodies and its aims parallel those of river trusts set up over the past decade to carry out similar projects on other major rivers around the UK.
More at: http://www.tyneriverstrust.org
