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Two young people in wellingtons are stood in a shallow section of river each holding a small 'keep' net. Calm section of river with a backdrop of green trees and foliage in dappled sunlight
River dipping at the 2025 Petteril Vale Discovery Day

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Petteril Vale: Where city and countryside meet

Part of project: Access to Eden: breaking barriers, building bridges

This community-driven urban river restoration project will enhance the river and wildlife habitat along the river Petteril where the city meets the countryside. With the potential for other habitat improvement such as ponds, invasive non-native species removal and native tree planting, once complete, this area will be home to a wider diversity of wildlife and be a much more welcoming place for the community to visit.

There will be a programme of walks and activities to encourage local people to rediscover the river. Interpretation and resources will be developed that link to the waymarked trails and encourage exploration of the natural heritage beyond the life of the project.

Lead partners: Cumberland Council, Eden Rivers Trust, The Ernest Cook Trust.

Challenge

We need to reconnect the river with the floodplain with enhanced wildlife areas and a community that relishes the river on their doorstep.
 

In this part of Carlisle, the straightened river channel is undercutting the neighbouring railway embankment (West Coast Mainline, the most important long-distance trunk route in the UK). Network Rail is keen to support the project to find ways to relieve the pressure on this essential lifeline.
 

Working directly with the local community, there is an opportunity to restore some of the river channel, make ponds and new wildlife areas, using the process to encourage learning about rivers, flooding ( which is a very pertinent issue in this part of Carlisle) and wildlife.

Approach

We’ll be working to:

  • Use nature-based solutions where practical that enhance site biodiversity while reducing the risk of erosion of the railway banking.

  • Encourage more people to use the valley and provide a greater level of physical and emotional comfort for all users.

  • Improve habitats for greater wildlife diversity.

  • Empower local communities to take more ownership of the site.

  • As a legacy of the project we want to leave an enhanced Green Space with access for all and railway protected long term without ugly infrastructure.

Progress to date

  • Draft options from the feasibility study for protecting the railway line and improving the habitat at Petteril Vale have been proposed and put forward for public consultation.
     

  • School project with Year 6 at Petteril Bank School completed in the summer of 2024
     

  • 2 balsam bashing days held in summer 2024.
     

  • Planning is now in place to deliver capital works on-site during the summer of 2026.
     
  • Petteril Vale Discovery Day held summer 2025.

Summer 2025 update

Planning is now in place to deliver capital works on-site during the summer of 2026. 

We held a Petteril Vale Discovery Day in the summer, offered people the opportunity to discover more about the wildlife and nature in their local river valley and to engage them in the proposed river / valley restoration plans in advance of a planning permission application scheduled for Autumn 2025. Many families came along, many well prepared with wellies, ready for river dipping; popular as always and well supported by ERT volunteers.

Image gallery

  • Two young people in wellingtons are stood in a shallow section of river each holding a small 'keep' net. Calm section of river with a backdrop of green trees and foliage in dappled sunlight
    River dipping at the 2025 Petteril Vale Discovery Day
  • Group of volunteers in blue and yellow hi vis vests stood in front of Eden Rivers Trust gazebo on grass in sunshine. There is a large pile of collected litter in front of them including full back bin bags and a number of car tyres. A small A Board sign reads:
  • A group of young people stood on the bank of a shallow section of river are posting for a photograph, in coats and looking wet from the rain.
  • A group of young people in colourful T shirts are stood on a large pile of Himalayan balsam collected as part of a sponsored balsam bash held at Petteril Vale.
  • Two young people in a woodland setting leaning some woodland skills, Sat on tarpaulin with tools.
  • A group of four people in high vis vests walking along a tarmac path holding bags full of litter and litter grabbing claws.
  • A young person stood on riverbank holding up a plastic magnifying jar containing a small fish, probably stickleback.
  • Aerial view of the river Petteril, showing the extent of the Petteril vale site, the path of the river through the grassland and its proximity to the railway line running along its border.

Access to Eden Doorstep Sites

Creating thriving natural spaces

Making improvements to the river environment at eight sites ‘on the doorstep’ of urban areas along the length of the river Eden.

Partners and Funders

This project is supported by the Access to Eden: breaking barriers, building bridges partnership project led by Eden Rivers Trust with a grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks also to the Garfield Weston Foundation and Penrith Town Council for their support during 2024.

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