The Kirkstall Valley Nature Reserve

The idea for a Kirkstall Valley Nature Reserve dates back to the Leeds City Council local plan in 1981, long before the Leeds Development Corporation was established. At this stage the Council resolved to establish a "Kirkstall Valley Park" along the River Aire, stretching from the Armley Mills Industrial Museum nearest the city centre, to the open countryside near Rodley.

The Council did not have the resources to acquire the whole of this land as public open space, but it already owned substantial tracks in Bramley Fall, Hawksworth Woods, Kirkstall Abbey, Gotts Park, Armley Park, Burley Mills Allotments and the Armley Mills Industrial Museum. Planning policies were introduced, in cooperation with the private sector, to protect the remainder in the longer term.

The idea was further developed by a team of local volunteers during the European Year of the Environment (EYE) in 1987. Their proposal from "EYE on the Aire" eventually won first prize in an international competition. Prince Charles made the awards.

The land for the proposed reserve was the semi-derelict fly ash lagoons used by the Kirkstall Power Station, and the nearby island in the River Aire. It is less than two miles from Leeds City Centre. The site belonged to the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) which was eventually privatised, and the land was transferred to the National Grid Company (Gridco). The lagoons had been tipped with low grade building waste, and a thin layer of soil scattered on top, but the area was slowly regenerating, and had become an attractive area of sparse meadowland with wild flowers. The tree covered island was normally inaccessible on foot. It was untouched land, with plants and animals typical of a well-leached riverside location. In spring it became a mass of bluebells.

Unfortunately, during 1988 the plans for the Nature Reserve fell foul of the secret Mountleigh / LCDC development scheme. There was no official announcement, but those working on the proposals for a Nature Reserve gradually realised that they were swimming in treacle. For a while, senior Leeds City Council officers acted as though they had covert instructions to smother any proposals for a Nature Reserve. One of the junior planning officers gave up in frustration and became a monk. There was never any outright rejection, but nothing moved for three years.

With the collapse of the Mountleigh / LCDC scheme, it became obvious that the north-western tip of the Gridco land had very limited development potential. The proposed Nature Reserve was re-activated, and a scheme was developed jointly between the Leeds Development Corporation, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, EYE on the Aire, and the Kirkstall Valley Campaign. Gridco granted a licence to occupy the land. The project is now managed by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, who are negotiating to purchase the 25.5 acre site. The reserve opened in 1992, and is still being developed.

The Nature Reserve Warden, Joanna Mawson, writes:

Kirkstall Valley Nature Reserve is a linear reserve bounded by the River Aire and the Leeds Liverpool Canal. The section of the canal which is adjacent to the reserve is included in a five mile length of the canal which was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest [SSSI] in 1984. The reserve is listed by the City Council as a Local Nature Area and as such forms an essential link in the Aire Valley Wildlife Corridor which has been highlighted by the Leeds Nature Conservation Strategy

The main body of the reserve which forms an extensive plateau is an area of disturbed ground, being formerly the site of the fly ash lagoons for the Kirkstall Power Station. The plateau is a mix of grassland and scrub some of which has its origin in natural regeneration, other areas have been sown to provide herb rich meadows which are a profusion of wild flowers in Spring and early Summer, or planted with native shrub and tree species including alder, cherry, birch and hawthorn. The Common Centuary is to be found here growing on spots of exposed fly ash which is alkaline, this is a rarity in West Leeds being associated with the limestone soils to the east of the city.

The area is bordered by two steeply sloping embankments, on the river side this takes the form of a ribbon of mixed woodland and scrub which provides valuable nesting habitat for birds such as reed bunting, kingfisher, sedge warbler and blackcap. The other embankment is south facing and primarily grassland which is being developed as a habitat for invertebrates such as butterflies [sixteen species recorded], the quality of the habitat is being improved by planting horseshoe shaped bays of shrubs which are open to their southerly aspect so providing sheltered areas from the strong westerly winds.

Of the total acreage 7.5 acres form an island in the River Aire. The island is formed from river sands and gravels which have given rise to the thin acidic soil, this supports a stand of mature oak trees. The herb layer in the clearings is dominated by wavy hair grass and in the spring bluebells carpet the ground under the trees. As there is no bridge to the island it provides a refuge for numerous species such as Roe Deer which are extremely sensitive to disturbance, herons are also frequent visitors they fish in the islands pond which is also used by several species of waterfowl.

Recent Developments.

At Kirkstall Valley Nature Reserve we have recently installed our new Gateway which has been entirely funded by grants from Yorkshire and Humberside Arts, National Westminster Bank, The Leeds Coop and The Civic Trust. The artist for the project was Holmfirth Sculptor Mick Kirkby- Geddes who worked with children from two local schools, Burley St. Matthias and Christ the King in Armley to produce the designs on which the Gateway is modelled. The children used the wildlife found at Kirkstall to inspire their designs for the gate which could be said to represent a simplified ecosystem!

The project has won us valuable local media attention and helped to win support and interest from local people. At present we are working on the funding and design for an environmental interpretation scheme for the nature reserve, which will use the gateway as its starting point. Once again we will be working with school groups on the content and design for the information panels and wayside markers which will greet visitors to the reserve once the scheme is completed.

It is been known for a long time that water plants have special abilities to influence their surroundings in a beneficial way and with this in mind we decided to create a reed bed system at the nature reserve to purify river water. The common reed is one of the better known water plants which can use sewage water as a nutrient resource whilst at the same time transforming the water quality from highly polluted to high quality. Water pumped from the River Aire is to supply the reeds with a diet of polluted water.

At the reserve we will use the purified water from the reed beds to help maintain water levels in our two wild life ponds which are full of wonderful creatures like frogs, sticklebacks, pond snails, various insect larvae, beetles and they also provide a habitat for a great diversity of water plants such as white water lily and reed mace. This is not the only benefit offered by the reed beds. Once they are well established they will provide habitat for various dragonflies, water birds and amphibians such as frogs and newts.

A grant from the Environmental Agency earlier this year enabled us to plant 500 reeds in April, the reeds are growing well and soon they will be put to work in cleaning water from the River Aire which will serve to keep our wildlife ponds topped up during the Summer months. To pump the water from the river up to the reed beds we are to install a hydraulic ram which is in effect a water driven pump. The hydram, as it is more commonly known was invented in 1793 by the Montgolfier brothers and has been manufactured in Britain since the early eighteenth century.

The Sensory Garden is another project which is coming along well, over the past few weeks we have worked on the paving scheme for the central area of the garden which is surrounded by raised planters, the paving is to allow easy access for disabled visitors and I am pleased to say that most of the construction work on the garden has been carried out by CALICO a practical conservation group for people with special needs. The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Badger logo is to be represented as a pebble mosaic which will form a centre piece to the paving scheme. Wherever possible we have used recycled or reclaimed construction materials in the garden which has been entirely funded by the Hanson Trust.

On the tenth of June 1997 David Bellamy visited the reserve his visit was a great morale booster for us. Children from a local school, Burley Saint Matthias Primary came down to the Reserve to meet him and a lovely afternoon was thoroughly enjoyed by all the visitors on the day. One of the activities which was organised to celebrate the visit involved the creation of a giant Peacock butterfly. The blueprint for the butterfly was designed by the schools art teacher and around sixty school children alongside volunteers from the CALICO group and BTCV made the collage from materials collected on the reserve. The design will now be used as the blueprint for a mosaic which will be superimposed on the concrete raft which supported the now demolished Portakabin building.

A short rotation coppice [SRC] plantation is to be planted at the reserve, the project may attract funds from BIFFA through a Land Fill Tax grant application, we already have word of a Woodland Grant Scheme grant from the Forestry Commission. The SRC is to provide biomass to fuel a wood burning stove in our proposed Visitor and Education Centre.

The coppice will provide an attractive habitat for a variety of birds, particularly migratory songbirds, some species of which are now in decline. Also resident woodland species such as tits and thrushes make use of all age classes of SRC whereas warblers seem to prefer three year old willow. Recent survey work has shown that SRC plantations can support high numbers of butterflies along the rides and newly cut areas.

The plantation will provide new education opportunities for school groups visiting the reserve and by- products from the plantation will provide us with materials for craft and art projects, Wood fuel is a renewable and sustainable energy source and because the growing crop fixes carbon dioxide during photosynthesis the production of wood energy does not contribute to the greenhouse effect by adding to the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Also, wood contains low levels of sulphur therefore substituting wood for fossil fuels can aid the reduction of acid deposition. For the reasons listed above we perceive SRC to be a responsible way in which to provide heat for our proposed centre and supports our commitment to the principles of sustainable development.

If you would like to find out more about Kirkstall Valley Nature Reserve and would like to help in any way please contact us at this address :

Kirkstall Valley Nature Reserve, Hollybush Farm, Broad Lane, Leeds LS5 3BP

telephone: 0113 230 6264