Huddersfield Riverside Nature Park 

River Colne at Aspley Huddersfield

Why create a Riverside Nature Park for Huddersfield?  

Huddersfield has some stunning stretches of rivers, canals and green spaces supporting ideal habitats for wildlife and places for people to relax, spend time in nature and avoid traffic and pollution. EPIKS are working with local residents, community groups and businesses to create a cleaner, greener and more accessible riverside nature park for all to enjoy.

The development of a riverside nature park from Lockwood to John Smith’s Stadium will inspire and benefit local communities, boost the local economy and help to take action for the Climate Emergency. Here’s some of the things we’ve achieved so far: 

We have been working hard to restore footpaths, create new links to riversides, improve signage and waymarking. We are working with schools, Kirklees College and the University to involve young people in their future learning, engagement and action for the environment. We’ve been consulting you on the what’s important to you about the rivers and greenspaces in Huddersfield- you tell us the most important thing is making the river better for wildlife; better waymarking of paths and places to rest and visit. Our partners at Cummins TT have been monitoring wildlife on their riverbanks to find birds and mammals thriving in the heart of town. Guided walks help to show walkers the hidden gems of our rivers and canals. We’ve partnered with the University and engineers in industry to explore the potential of micro hydro electric power on the weir at Snow Island. Our work is ongoing and we welcome volunteers to join our regular work parties and businesses to sponsor and participate in our work. If you would like to get involved please email

From 2024, we will be focusing on stewardship in the HRNP, working more closely with businesses to create cleaner and more ecologically diverse landscape. We will be managing woodlands for increased carbon sequestration and flood alleviation and monitoring the impacts of our work over time.

View or download our brochure here.

Find out about the places you can visit here. For a fact sheet about wildlife click here.

 

 

Some of the path improvements and waymarking to improve access to the river at Colne Rd.