The seven million pound conversion of Jesmond Dene House from school to luxury hotel is well underway; it is planned to open for business by September 2005 and the first wedding is already booked, consents having now been granted for all the relevant licenses. The archaeologist employed by the developers is investigating the possibility of writing a book on the history of Jesmond Dene House and the Dene; the Friends of the Dene have made available archive material for a brochure – part of a press launch at the beginning of February 2005.
The Dene Volunteer Group are keen to tidy up the Water Mill and need materials to do the job (although obviously their labour is free). The Committee has recently agreed to their using the Friends of Jesmond Dene as a charitable umbrella under which to apply for Heritage Lottery funding of approximately £25 000. The work will take at least a year once funding is in place, and will include using contractors for some parts – particularly to facilitate disabled access.
The Heritage Lottery Bid for the Ouseburn Parks was finalised and passed to the Executive of the City Council who are currently in the process of deciding whether the 25% council funding towards the bid will be forthcoming. This guarantee is needed before the application can go forward to the HLF.
Newcastle won three Civic Trust Green Flag awards in 2004, (see Spring 2004 Newsletter) out of seven entered - Gosforth Central, Benwell Nature and Leazes Parks. Paddy Freeman’s and Heaton Park will be entered again for 2005, with the deadline for submission 28 February and judging in June.
There is funding - approximately £39,000 - available to improve playgrounds in Dene Ward. The funds will come from the development of the Benton Road, Heaton Manor School site and will be shared between the play area on Coach Lane and Paddy Freeman's. There will be consultation on what people would like to have added at Paddy Freeman’s - hopefully to include equipment for children over the age of 10 years.
This year’s Ouseburn Festival will be a nine day event, beginning on Friday 22nd July and culminating in Carnival Day on Sunday 31st July. The Festival is set to be bigger than in previous years, because the Tall Ships’ visit will coincide with the Festival dates. The largest of the Tall Ships will be moored at Spillers Quay, at the mouth of the Ouseburn, which should create plenty of visitor interest. This is a real chance to ‘showcase’ the Ouseburn Valley and a full programme of events is being worked on to maximise the opportunity. Funding is currently being sought and, once confirmed, the programme will be finalised and made available for public information. The Festival Management Committee are keen to hear from members of the local community who would like to get involved in the organisation of the Festival – either by volunteering or by contributing ideas to the Festival programme.
Contact the Festival Secretary, Angela Barker, tel 0191 211 5698, or email: angela.barker@newcastle.gov.uk for further information, or to find out the date of the next Festival Association meeting – to which all are welcome.
As part of the ongoing programme of activities aimed at raising awareness of the river, the Council are planning a second series of evening and weekend PURE guided walks and cycle rides within the Ouseburn catchment over the summer. Each walk will have a particular theme, starting and finishing close to Metro stations. It is hoped to link at least one of the walks with the Ouseburn Heritage Group’s planned walks in June. Please contact Lara Baker at the Ouseburn Resource Centre for details: tel 230 3929 email lara.baker@newcastle.gov.uk
A list of key issues aimed at involving the community in the development of an Ouseburn Catchment Plan is being produced in March. This will lead to an open Catchment Forum to discuss the issues, followed by the appointment of a Steering Group and then Working Groups. Each group will be represented by local volunteers and will be based on the PURE themes of River Restoration, Multifunctionality, Participation and Water Management. We are looking for volunteers to help steer these groups!
Cllr Gareth Kane is organizing the next annual community ‘Clean the Dene’ event in April which will involve local volunteers clearing litter in at least two different locations along the river. The event has been very successful in the past and has generated a lot of support. We are looking for volunteers to take part in this very rewarding day!
In December 2004, the City Council lodged a Transport and Works Act Order application for the construction of a lock and weir under Glasshouse Bridge in the lower Ouseburn Valley. The aim of the one and a half million pound ‘barrage’ is to impound the river up to the southern entrance of the City Stadium culvert, in order to permanently raise the water level and address the current problems associated with debris, smell, the restricted use of the river by boats and steep banks - which are considered detrimental to the aims for regeneration of the valley. One million pounds of European funding has already been obtained.
The statutory six week consultation period has now expired and a number of objections have been received*. The Department of Transport advise that the Secretary of State, Alistair Darling, has revised the date for any decision to 30 April 2005, to allow the Council time to negotiate with objectors. The Council will continue discussions with stakeholders and statutory bodies over the next few months with the view to adequately addressing all their issues and so encourage withdrawal of the objections.
*Northumbrian Water said sewage systems could threaten water quality and cause sewer flooding; the Environment Agency is concerned that mudflats – currently a feeding ground for wading birds – would be left permanently underwater; Jim Cousins, MP for Newcastle Central, although generally supportive, felt these concerns needed addressing.
The Journal, February 2, 2005
10 am and the volunteers are meeting at Millfield House to see what’s on the agenda. Over a coffee, the rangers (usually Seamus and Jo) brief us on tools needed, safety precautions etc - and off we go. It might be path or pond clearing, bulb planting, gravel spreading, cleaning and painting railings, weeding, shrub trimming, eradicating Himalayan balsam or despairing of ever getting the better of Japanese knotweed. These activities vary according to season, weather and number of people on the day; part of the fun is finding out just what’s in store. (So far the only job to get the thumbs down is cleaning the rust off the entrance gates!)
Sometimes we come in for a whole day, sometimes just a half; the atmosphere is congenial and we usually have a laugh even as we get ever dirtier and more tired. But why do it? Reasons vary, but most of us read the notices in the Dene, thought we had some spare time, so why not give it a try. It gives an excuse to get out, the exercise is good and we feel at the end of the day that we have made a bit of difference to a place that is such a wonderful amenity for Newcastle. We have uncovered features many of us never knew existed, such as the steps to Armstrong’s Bridge, and learnt the reason for the cattle run in Armstrong Park. There is the pleasure of getting a glimpse of the kingfisher or the occasional heron; one day we saw a stoat - or weasel? - the books came out at lunchtime. Many of us have walked in the Dene for years, taken our children to Pets’ Corner and enjoyed watching the changing seasons - so there is a feeling of ‘putting something back’.
It may be just a drop in the ocean, but we hope clearing a path or trimming back overhanging branches lets other people see what can be done and will encourage larger scale conservation in the future.
For me, I enjoy the company and the feeling that there’s a job for everyone. We can work at our own pace and as little or often as we like. I didn’t realise the scope of the rangers’ work before joining their group. They are incredibly versatile and give us plenty of encouragement. Most of the time the weather is kind, but even a wet day hasn’t deterred us. I hope more people will give volunteering a try as they will almost certainly enjoy it.
Maggie Dowman - Jesmond Dene Volunteer
Many of us will remember the very hot summer of 2003. One result of this was that some trees, particularly rowans, whitebeams and hawthorns, had an exceptionally good flowering in spring 2004, followed by a huge berry crop in autumn 2004. At the same time there was a very bad berry crop further east in Russia, which didn't get the 2003 heatwave. This resulted in a large number of berry-eating birds coming much further west for the winter than normal - birds that would usually stay in Scandinavia or eastern Europe came to Britain instead, to feed on our berries.
Numbers of thrushes – Blackbirds, Song Thrushes, Fieldfares and Redwings – have been higher than normal, but what the winter will be most remembered for is the huge invasion of Waxwings. The largest flock locally was 500 in Shieldfield in mid-December, but smaller flocks were seen widely around the area. Most have moved on now, but good numbers can be expected on their return passage in March and April, so keep a good look out for them wherever there are still any berries available. On past form, good places to check locally are on Cleveland Gardens and Red Hall Drive, North Heaton, with some late-ripening hybrid hawthorns at each site providing food long after most other berries have been finished.
The Mute Swan family, which has been present on Paddy Freeman's Pond for some time now, finally moved on, perhaps back to their nesting lake near Chester-le-Street. One of the cygnets had to be taken into care after it was injured in an unknown incident, probably by an uncontrolled dog.
Three Goosanders (two drakes and a duck) were on Paddy Freeman's Pond in mid-January. This spectacular duck is a rare, but increasing visitor in the Dene with several records in the last 5 years. Tufted Ducks were also there for most of the winter, with a top count of nine in December.
The second week in March should bring the first returning Chiffchaffs singing in the Dene. Lesser Black-backed Gulls are also usually summer visitors here and can often be seen on Paddy Freeman's Pond from early March.
Michael Frankis
Victorian plant collectors brought plants to Britain from around the world with the aim of creating interesting garden floral features. Japanese knotweed, Fallopia japonica, was among these plants, being introduced in 1825. We have an old photograph taken in the early 1900s showing a view behind the waterfall in Jesmond Dene. Large stands of knotweed can be clearly seen lining the banks of the Ouseburn. Little did these collectors of exotic species realise that they were creating an immense problem for the future.
As a ranger in Jesmond Dene I have grown to despise this plant and believe it to be one of the biggest threats to the Dene today. How is it, that a plant can be viewed with such horror? These facts on knotweed may help to explain:
• It is a native of Japan where it grows on the slopes of volcanoes
• It spreads at a rapid rate by its spreading roots
• It can grow up to 2m -3m in weeks
• It reduces biodiversity by shading out native flora
• It only takes a tiny fragment of its root (0.7g) to propagate into a new plant
• It can grow through tarmac, paving and can break down walls
• It spreads along water courses where fragments are eroded and deposited down stream
• It has no natural predators in the UK
• It is difficult to kill
The two main problems with knotweed in the Dene are the visual impact and the loss of wildlife habitat. Large areas of the Dene have now been taken over, especially along the river banks; new stands are now starting to appear on the upper slopes, well away from the river.
So, what can be done? Here lies the biggest problem with this nasty weed; it is very hard to eradicate. To dig an individual plant out would require a hole 7m wide and 2m deep (remember it only takes 0.7g of root to propagate). Then, it has to be burnt on site.
Herbicide treatment is the only other viable option. Unfortunately it requires three treatments in one season to kill it and in addition, many treatments cannot be safely used near water courses. The herbicide will also kill other native plants in the treatment area, which can lead to bare soil along the river banks, increasing the probability of erosion. The introduction of a natural predator control has also been suggested. This is a risky solution as it may cause even bigger problems to the natural ecosystem.
In the next newsletter I will explain how we are trying to control knotweed and also introduce you to some more alien invaders.
Seamus Tollitt
The last newsletter noted the final record of otter on the Ouseburn system in the early 1960s. It was not until the 1990s that daylight sightings in various parts of Northumberland, followed unfortunately by road casualties (30 animals in 18 months), suggested a slow recovery was underway. Around this time there were more local sightings – Newburn Country Park and Stella Power Station and another road casualty, near Ryton in 2000. By now otters were also being logged at Big Waters, along with five more nearby road casualties.
In April 2000 a possible otter (or mink?) was spotted by bird watchers in Gosforth Park Lake. It was confirmed by finding otter padding (prints) and spraint near the old sluice and the City Planning Office ecologist and the Otter Project Officer were duly informed. Further surveys of the Upper Ouseburn catchment revealed that otters were using the whole of the Ouseburn from just below Callerton to the Whitecroft Burn leading from Gosforth Park Lake. One June afternoon in 2000, three lucky Gosforth golf course ground staff and two golfers had a clear view of an otter making its way up the Ouseburn and again in September 2001 – the Newcastle course and one golfer this time.
In early 2003, the Natural History Society of Northumbria restocked Gosforth Park Lake with 1200 roach. Shortly afterwards, a 16 pound male otter was found dead on the A189 close to Lake Lodge. In May, a similar male casualty was found near Grandstand Road not far from Craghall Burn. Evidence of spraint close to the Craghall Burn culvert and the Ouseburn confluence and also from the culvert between Jesmond Vale and Ouseburn Farm, Byker, showed otters to be using the river from the source to the Tyne. In October, an otter was spotted in the morning by the river on the bridle path at Garden Village, Gosforth, and later that same day one was seen near Fisherman’s Lodge, swimming towards Ivy bridge and the Banqueting Hall.
In March 2004, a wonderful viewing of an otter on Gosforth Park Lake and island by the author, was followed in May by the first urban otter walk for the Natural History Society. The group found tracks and spraint at various locations around the catchment but, unexpectedly, after just five minutes at the final site - first one then two otters appeared! After watching for nearly an hour, including 15 minutes of two otters swimming simultaneously, darkness brought an end to the evening.
It is to be hoped that the otter’s recovery on the Ouseburn system is not in any way set back by future developments such as the “Great Park” expansion with its 2500 new houses, the half locks and marina proposals at the Ouseburn / Tyne confluence and other new plans for north of Gosforth Park. While provision is being made to accommodate the otter (and other wildlife) in these developments, this may still be just a window through which the “Goose-footed Prowler” may briefly pass.
Bob Wilkin