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Saved: Nidd Gorge

Thanks to the thousands of people who spoke up, North Yorkshire County Council has ditched plans to build a road through the picturesque ancient woodland of Bilton Beck & Rudding Bottoms at Nidd Gorge.

The ancient woodland of Bilton Beck & Rudding Bottoms has been saved.

Credit: Jill Jennings / WTML

Nidd Gorge is a stunning landscape that supports a wealth of wildlife and flora.

Credit: Mark Sunderland / WTML

The wood is popular with local residents and they campaigned passionately to save the site.

Credit: Jill Jennings / WTML

The steep-sided valley of the River Nidd has been wooded since at least the days of the Domesday Book.

Credit: Jill Jennings / WTML

North Yorkshire County Council asked the local community to provide feedback on several proposals to reduce congestion around Harrogate and Knaresborough.

One of the proposals was for a new relief road around the north to east side of Harrogate. This would have seen the loss of ancient woodland and part of the Trust’s Bilton Beck & Rudding Bottoms site, which is part of the wider Nidd Gorge landscape.

The road would have cut up and fragmented wildlife habitats and damaged this precious landscape irreparably. 

Over 15,000 people responded to the consultation to demand protection for the ancient woodland - including nearly 5,000 Woodland Trust supporters.

We're delighted that North Yorkshire County Council has shelved the plans for this inappropriate development and that the wood can continue to provide for wildlife, people and the environment.

But ancient woodland across the UK still needs your help, more so than ever before. Your voice can make a difference for these precious habitats and the wildlife that calls them home.

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