Nature restoration at North Cave Wetlands mark end of water tour
Source: gov.uk (2025-03-13)

Minister for Water and Flooding, Emma Hardy, visited North Cave Wetlands to see how nature-based solutions help flooding.

The North Cave Wetlands nature reserve was the final location on the nationwide ‘Things Can Only Get Cleaner’ water tour by Defra Ministers.

Minister for Water and Flooding, Emma Hardy, today visited the 140-hectare site near Brough, East Yorkshire,

Once a sand and gravel quarry, the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust reserve is also a prime example of a nature-based solution to flooding, that the government is backing, as well as a magnet for wildlife.

The tranquil site marked the end of a week-long series of separate visits by Environment Secretary and Minister Hardy to iconic water sites such as Windermere (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-ambition-to-end-sewage-discharges-into-windermere), the River Wye (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-and-welsh-government-unite-in-1m-fund-to-transform-river-wye) and Havant Thicket (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/securing-a-sustainable-water-future-for-the-south-east) – England’s first new reservoir in over 30 years.

The Ministers saw examples of how a record £104 billion in private-sector investment is being spent, including AI-led technology to cut sewage spills, water recycling schemes, and creating green energy from sewage sludge.

The funding builds on the Government’s Plan for Change, which will support the infrastructure Britain needs to boost growth, construct 1.5 million new homes, and clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good.

A healthy natural environment is crucial to the nation’s health and prosperity, which is why nature recovery is also an integral part of the Government’s Plan for Change to create a decade of national renewal.

Water and Flooding Minister, Emma Hardy, said:

Our prosperity relies on the health of the natural world and it’s always a privilege to return to North Cave Wetlands.

It was wonderful to end the tour in such a peaceful place and see how nature-based solutions can make a real difference in managing flooding.

This tour has highlighted the transformative impact that £104 billion of investment into the water sector will have on our rivers, lakes and seas.

It will also underpin the building of new homes, create jobs and turbocharge local economies – a cornerstone of the government’s Plan for Change.

The Minister spoke to volunteers at the site, which is run by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust in partnership with Breedon Group. North Cave is now home to 2% of the national breeding population of avocets, one of Yorkshire’s biggest sand martin colonies, and up to 2,000 pairs of black-headed gulls.

In January, the Minister convened a Natural Flood Management roundtable, where key stakeholders from local authorities, NGOs, and academia gathered to discuss innovative strategies for enhancing flood resilience.

David Craven, East Regional Manager for Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, said:

Natural Flood Management systems are a vitally important way of reducing the damage flooding causes for people and livelihoods, whilst also creating wetland habitats much of our endangered wildlife relies upon to survive.

By restoring natural processes around in and around rivers and their catchments, we can better manage water in the landscape, and bring back a network of healthy, thriving watercourses for wildlife and communities to enjoy.

Since its conversion from a working aggregate quarry into a wetland reserve for wildlife, North Cave Wetlands has become a nationally-important site for species like black-headed gulls, sand martins and avocets – but it has also proven time and time again how important it is for mitigating flooding in the local area. Because the site was designed with inbuilt water control mechanisms, in 2017 when the local villages were threatened with extensive flooding we were instead able to take that water onto the reserve, saving local homes and businesses.

We need more places like North Cave Wetlands if we wish to better-manage flooding and water in our landscape – with the dual benefit of improving our spaces for wildlife too.

Significant reforms are also already reshaping the water sector, with bold action driving real change. Money earmarked for investment will be ringfenced so it can only be spent on infrastructure upgrades - and returned to customers where it is not spent - while the groundbreaking Water (Special Measures) Act (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-law-to-ban-bonuses-for-polluting-water-bosses) will ban bonuses for water executives who pollute.

The independent Water Commission (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/public-invited-to-have-say-on-water-sector-fit-for-the-future) is also tasked with examining the reforms needed to reset the water system and make it fit for the future.