Nottinghamshire will benefit to the tune of £19 million when the country's largest fish pass, which is now halfway through construction, is completed. Work on the huge project at the Holme Sluices barrier in Colwick, for which the Environmental Agency has allocated £9.7m of funds, is expected to be completed in August 2023.
Holme Sluices, which was built in the 1950s and opened by the late Prince Philip, spans the full width of the River Trent and is used by the Environment Agency to protect Nottingham from flooding and control river levels upstream. However, the scale of the barrier also means it is the largest barrier to the natural migration of fish in the Midlands, which the new fish pass would correct by using narrow slots and ascending chambers to allow Salmon, Lamprey, Eels, and other fish to swim past Holme Sluices.
The Environment Agency, which is heading the project, says this will allow migratory fish to access spawning grounds upstream, provide better wildlife habitats, and improve the biodiversity of the area. Ricky Lee, Project Manager at the Environment Agency, said: "Construction of the Colwick (Holme Sluices) fish pass is now over 50 percent complete and the excavation of the Colwick (Holme Sluices) fish pass channel is now complete.
