High Wycombe Community Board

This project will continue with previous work we have done in this area of the Chilterns and also create the way forward for longer term enhancements to the town environment with the local community.  Some of the community organisations we have engaged with through our previous funding and other projects will hopefully be able to help with elements of this project.

One of the main areas of work will be on the River Wye  – focussing on habitat restoration, enhancements and interpretation.

The river, as an internationally important chalk stream is a Biodiversity Action Plan Priority Habitat    This work links to environmentally strategic work. It is part of the Central Chilterns Chalk Rivers Biodiversity Opportunity Area (BOA)  which identifies key areas of importance in Bucks.

We will work with local groups and other organisations such as Revive the Wye, Chiltern Chalk Stream project and Bucks Council teams.  There will be a mixture of work undertaken including:

Tree removal and reduction – especially of Sycamore and Ash, add gravel for spawning fish, berm creation, litter removal, art based interpretation with and by the local community at Funges Meadow we would like to replace some of the A0 boards depicting local wildlife which are 4-5 years old and end of their lifespan which are on the bridge by Funges Meadow Nature Reserve and Wye Dene. We will also use funding in Funges Meadow NR to make this wonderful reserve more usable by the public in a variety of ways – this is part of a larger project designed to honor the memory of Frances Alexander who helped create this nature reserve.

The need for the projects is ultimately the same  – the community needs a healthy environment and projects like this help individuals and the collective  recover from the pressures of the pandemic directly and indirectly.

The chalk stream is in need of the work as it is currently not in ‘good’ ecological condition.  These aspects will form part of the transformation towards ‘good’ and will add value to other recent or planned future works.