Julian Smith MP visited the site of Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal to receive an update from the General Manager, Justin Scully, about the Skell Valley Project.
The Skell Valley Project, funded by the National Trust and the National Heritage Lottery, aims to combat the effects of the River Skell on the landscape upstream and downstream from Fountains Abbey. The project is designed to prevent some of the damage from flood events not only within the World Heritage site at Fountains Abbey, but encompassing the whole River Skell catchment area.
It is hoped that the work, in partnership with local farmers, will have environmental benefits too, reducing soil loss, and addressing the high level of siltation in the river, which has a direct effect on priority species like white-clawed crayfish, otters, dippers, kingfishers and yellow wagtail.
Julian Smith said, “I very much valued the opportunity to catch up with all the latest news from the estate. Fountains Abbey is a wonderful asset for the whole community, and it is great to see the start of this project, which we all hope will have long-term benefits for the area.”
