Site: Gorpley Clough
Grid reference: SD914233
Landowner: CMBC Countryside Service; Yorkshire Water; 8-9 commoners have grazing rights. Landowner address & contact Calderdale Council – Dave Wilson is local countryside officer.
Size of planting site: Approx. 2.0 ha
Site description:
The site is a Local Nature Reserve managed by the Calderdale Countryside Service (Dave Wilson, 01422 886371) and the top triangle by the reservoir is owned and managed by Yorkshire Water (contact Geoff Lomas). The commoners graze cattle and sheep on the hillside overlooking the Clough, which is intermittently fenced, but which requires a proper boundary.
Site Particulars
The sides of the Clough are geologically unstable and are subject to erosion; the Clough itself is subject to flash flooding, and the CMBC Countryside Service have spent a lot of time upgrading the circular path (see attached colour map).
The aim is to create a stock-proof hedge on the ridge above the Clough, which will require permission from the Secretary of State to also erect a fence for ten years (as this is registered common land). Inside the curtain of the hedge we intend to plant birch, oak and gorse to stabilize the ground and also to initiate some erosion control work through The Source. The ground where the hedgeline needs to go is very swampy in places.
