A PLANNING application has been lodged seeking permission for restoration works on the River Rede in Northumberland.

The Revitalising Redesdale project has secured funding to deliver a suite of river-restoration projects along the river.

The river has not recovered from dredging and deepening more than 50 years ago which has had a significant impact on river habitat and ecology.

The aim of the work is to restore river processes and improve habitat for the protected freshwater pearl mussel.

The proposal in question relates to a stretch of rapidly eroding riverbank west of Otterburn and north-east of Dunns Houses, with works to take place to the north and south banks plus a six-metre-wide strip of farmland on the northern side.

The planning document says the proposed works are classified as water-compatible development for the purposes of enhancing nature conservation and biodiversity.

However, it does warn that there is a risk that the site, which will be accessed from the A696 between Otterburn village and the first school, may be flooded during the course of the works, but ‘appropriate plans will be put in place to minimise the risk to the contractor’.

Revitalising Redesdale is a £2.8million, Heritage Lottery-funded Landscape Partnership Scheme, which aims to celebrate, conserve and enhance Redesdale’s rich cultural heritage, landscape and wildlife.