The Lower Aire Valley is part of the larger drainage basin of the Lower Aire and Calder valleys. It is a typical mature river valley with a wide valley floor bounded by gently rising ground which gives it a degree of enclosure. The dominant features of the valley are not natural, but man-made. For years the area has been affected by mineral workings and landfill operations on a large scale. Some of these activities will continue into the next century. Those which have already ceased have left a legacy of derelict and degraded land along the length of the valley from Skelton in the west, to Fairburn in the east.
The area is home to major public utilities such as sewage works and the Skelton Grange Power Station. It is also traversed by major transport arteries - the Aire and Calder Navigation, the Leeds-Castleford railway line and the proposed route for the M1/A1 link road which crosses the western fringe of the valley. Urban fringe and development pressures affect parts of the area, particularly on the edge of the main built-up area of Leeds and around the former mining settlements in the valley.
However, despite the fact that much of the valley is despoiled, there remain pockets of intact landscape, such as Swillington Park, and a string of wetlands and water areas which are of major nature conservation value. Elsewhere, landscapes created through restoration programmes following opencasting and other mining operations are beginning to mature and will in time create a new landscape character in areas of the valley. Even in its present state, the valley is a valuable recreational resource and there is pressure for greater access in some parts of the valley. Agriculture still remains a major land use, particularly on the fringes of the valley, with a mixture of arable/vegetable growing and pastoral farmland.
Development of coal mining in the latter half of the 19th Century saw a parallel growth in existing settlements such as Allerton Bywater, Rothwell, Mickletown, Swillington and Kippax, which were previously little more than small rural villages and hamlets. More recent inter- and post-war development has resulted in the growth of dormitory functions which has brought increasing urban fringe problems.
The most significant of these problems are the pressures generated by the urban fringe location and its attendant problems of land use uncertainty, trespass and damage to crops and livestock. Uncertainty about future land use has not only resulted from potential development pressures, particularly in the western fringe of the Valley at Osmondthorpe/Halton Moor, but also over the years from potential for mineral operations. The marginal nature of some of the land also makes it more susceptible to changes in agricultural policy and prices. Some landowners have begun to take advantage of the various schemes and grants now available to improve the quality and diversity of use of their land. There are single examples of the use of both Set-aside and Countryside Stewardship schemes operating in the area and interest has also been shown in other schemes such as Rural Action. Diversification to sustainable woodland as part of the Forest of Leeds may offer further opportunities in appropriate areas of the Valley where it is possible to draw upon a range of farm woodland grant regimes. There is significant scope within the Lower Aire Valley to extend the use of such land management mechanisms to help improve landscape amenity and nature conservation value of agricultural land.
Current recreation activities associated with the Valley are largely informal and local in nature, with the exception of Thwaite Mills (15,000 visitors a year), Temple Newsam Estate (in the region of 1 million visitors a year - see East Leeds Management Area) and Fairburn Ings Nature Reserve (75,000 visitors a year). Other wetland areas along the Valley have wildlife value, but where access is available, are also used for informal recreation such as picnicking and bird watching, fishing, walking, etc. The Rivers Aire and Calder and the associated Navigation are under-exploited recreational resources. The River Aire suffers from poor water quality which severely limits its value for recreation or wildlife. Improvements in water quality are being pursued (see River Catchments - Section 2.2) which will help stimulate greater leisure activity, particularly of the navigation which is seeing greater use by pleasure craft with the decline in freight traffic use. Elsewhere, some of the derelict land left over from old mining operations, for example, Rothwell Colliery spoil heap, is used by local people for dog-walking, horse-tethering, motor-bike scrambling and general recreation, as well as unauthorised rubbish dumping. Opportunities for formal sport and recreation are provided for at various local sports grounds and centres, such as at Rothwell, Kippax and Halton.
The value of the river corridor as a recreational route has been recognised and a number of initiatives, such as the Trans-Pennine Trail, the Leeds Country Way, South Leeds Heritage Trail and more localised towpath and footpath improvements, are being progressed. With greater leisure use of the Navigation, there will be more opportunities to promote greater use of canal towpaths and extend the links to existing settlements and centres of attraction. However, the potential conflicts between increased recreational activity on the one hand, and nature conservation and agricultural interests on the other, require careful resolution at both a strategic and local level. The basic recreational issues facing the Valley are how appropriate recreation use of the river/canal should be promoted; what level of public access would be appropriate in different parts of the Valley; what level of recreational use should be promoted; and how can potential conflicts be resolved?
A number of factors have contributed to the overall ecological interest of the Valley, including:
- interlinked nature of a range of habitats (mainly wetland areas) which allow wildlife to move through an otherwise hostile environment;
- areas of refuge which have resulted from the limited access within much of the Valley;
- the position of the Valley on the major east-west flyway between the important Humber/Ouse and Mersey/Ribble estuaries.
The legacy of mineral extraction, river engineering and power generation operations has left a variety of "artificial" habitats which have developed as ecologically important features over the last 50 years or so. These include: subsidence wetlands (eg, Mickletown and Ledston Ings); water bodies created in opencast restoration schemes (eg, Lowther North Lake, New Swillington); ox-bow lakes and other features resulting from river/canal improvements (eg, Junction and Island Oxbows at Methley); and ash and sludge lagoons (eg, at Skelton). Other valuable habitats include woodlands at Avenue Wood, Peascroft Wood and Hollinhurst Wood, as well as grasslands and wet meadows at Leventhorpe and Methley Mires which form part of the extensive washlands of the River Aire.
The large numbers of birds attracted by the variety of water bodies means that the Lower Aire Valley is recognised as of at least regional importance in ornithological terms, with particular areas such as Fairburn and Newton Ings attracting considerable public interest. Parts of the Valley are also of importance for plants and invertebrates. Several sites are recognised as being of national (SSSI) or local (SEGI/LNA) nature conservation interest and would be sensitive to disturbance or changes in management regimes. The priorities for nature conservation in the Lower Aire Valley are therefore how best to maintain and manage important habitats; how to manage public access to ensure site conservation; and how to reconcile the conflicts between nature conservation objectives, while seeking to promote recreational access and activities, and agricultural interests.
Area Initiatives
Within the Lower Aire Valley there are several current initiatives which are intended to improve the environmental quality of the area, including the Forest of Leeds initiative, the Trans-Pennine Trail, the Five Villages Project and the Skelton environmental project. In addition to these, is a wide range of area, regional and national grant schemes and funding initiatives, including the Parish Paths Partnership, Countryside Stewardship, Rural Action, Set-aside, and the Woodland Grant Scheme. All these are being targeted within the Lower Aire Valley and their application will be co-ordinated through the Lower Aire Valley Environmental Improvement Strategy currently being progressed by the City Council in partnership with British Coal and the Yorkshire and Humberside Region of the Countryside Commission.
Management Strategy
Within the Leeds MD, the Lower valley performs a series of important strategic functions relating to the nature of the Valley as a corridor for recreation and amenity, nature conservation and access. The Valley is also an important source of coal and mineral deposits and contributes to Leeds MD's share of regional output and to the economic vitality of Leeds as a whole. In addition, disruption caused by mineral operations, agriculture remains an extensive land use and therefore a significant influence upon the landscape of the Valley. Consequently, there is a range of competing demands, pressures and opportunities which require management and resolution. The Lower Aire Valley Environmental Improvement Strategy is intended to provide a framework for co-ordinating existing initiatives and promoting new mechanisms to deal with such problems.
Recreation
- To secure initiatives to realise the potential of a central access and recreation spine along the valley floor and the river/canal corridor.
Landscape
- Enhance the landscape character of the valley through initiatives to Conserve and Restore existing character and Enhancement by the creation of new Landscape Character
- Secure environmental improvements in relation to development proposals through planning obligations in the context of LAVEIS and Leeds UDP.
Nature Conservation
Promote a corridor of wetlands and other habitats created, enhanced, managed and protected for nature conservation and quiet leisure activities, including bird watching and angling. The potential exists to extend Fairburn Ings nature reserve to incorporate the reclamation site at Ledston/Newton Ings and provide a wetland reserve of wider regional importance and to develop the St Aidan's Remainder site similarly.
Minerals
Through restoration schemes and in the context of the landscape assessment promote the need for environmental improvements linked to the reclamation of former mineral extraction and landfill sites to wetland, woodland and landscapes for Leisure and Recreation, Nature Conservation and Agriculture.