A new scheme that will improve flood protection, boost wildlife habitats and create 160 hectares of new saltmarsh on the Ribble estuary has been opened today.

The new reserve not only creates new saltmarsh habitat but strengthens sea defences. The £6 million scheme at Hesketh, in Lancashire, is a partnership project between the RSPB, Natural England and the Environment Agency.

The RSPB’s Hesketh Out Marsh Reserve and Natural England’s Ribble Estuary National Nature Reserve (NNR) are a demonstration of the newly-launched joint strategy for NNRs. The work has been made possible by:

• almost £2 million funding from Landfill Communities Fund monies from FCC Environment through WREN
• £3.7 million government funding to reduce flood risk

Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey said:

“Hesketh is an inspiring project, creating fantastic new habitats for wildlife and providing increased flood protection for hundreds of people living around the Ribble Estuary.

“This £6 million scheme shows how embracing new ideas and working with partners can create tremendous benefits for the environment.”

Natural England’s Chairman, Andrew Sells, described the opening as “an extremely symbolic moment” which demonstrated how conservation will work in the future.

On completion, the full RSPB Hesketh Out Marsh Reserve will include 340 hectares of saltmarsh, making it the largest site of its kind in the north of England.

Natural England will designate the reserve as part of the existing Ribble Estuary NNR later in 2017. The RSPB and Natural England will then jointly manage both sites as effectively one large reserve. Ribble Estuary NNR is already England’s third largest National Nature Reserve.

The work at Hesketh Outmarsh East has involved strengthening and raising the height of 2km of flood banks. This has reduced the flood risk to more than 140 properties and 300 hectares of prime farmland nearby. This is known as ‘managed realignment’, and is one of the largest schemes of its kind in the UK.