Riverside residents pull together on conservation project

Nearly two years on from the Boxing Day floods in 2015 – which devastated much of the Leeds waterfront – residents at riverside housing estate H2010 in Hunslet are still hard at work, with the Council and other agencies, to clean up and revitalise their leg of the river.

H2010 residents on a previous riverside clear-up (image via Groundwork)

With the £50m city flood defence scheme now largely complete (as previously reported here), residents are working closely with environmental charity Groundwork, the Canal and River Trust (a charity overseeing the UK waterways), and Leeds City Council on community action days, and – looking ahead – a ‘Knostrop Quay Wetland Masterplan’ developed by Groundwork.

This Thursday (12 October 2017) sees a public meeting at 11am, for any local residents (not just from H2010, but anyone from Hunslet or even further afield) to meet with the agencies – to share ideas, and help shape tasks and priorities for the coming weeks and months. For more info or to attend, contact the H2010 residents group via their Facebook page here.

Action days are then scheduled for Friday 20 October and Saturday 21 October; these will focus on clearing the waterfront of litter and debris, cutting back vegetation, and more. Then in the medium to long term, a resident-led action group is forming to help oversee and maintain the zone. Newcomers and volunteers are warmly invited to join any of these.

H2010 resident Sandra Ingemansen commented:

“The more we get to know our neighbours from the local area, the better for community spirit. We had great fun assisting the Canal and River Trust with some ‘dead-hedging’ over at Thwaite Mills last autumn. It’d be great to meet others from the surrounding area, and work together on this!”

To find out more or get involved with this project: again, go via the H2010 Facebook page.