'Floating ecosystem' could help boost wildlife on River Ouse in York city centre

The plans would see the pontoon-like structure installed by York’s North Street Gardens. The St Nicks environmental charity who lodged the plans stated it was designed to revitalise nature in that part of the river and improve water quality.

The plans lodged with York Council stated the structure’s modules would act as an island to break up the water’s surface and provide shade beneath.

Microbes in amongst the plant roots can break down pollution and nutrients and provide a shelter and feeding ground for small fish. The structure would also give birds a place to rest and nest.

Scottish company Biomatrix would design and build the floating ecosystem which St Nicks would maintain. They would put a range of native evergreen and flowering plants on it which would take around a year to become established. An anchoring system would also be designed especially for the conditions of the River Ouse.

The structure itself would be 16.45m-long and 2.34m-wide and made up of seven modules. The ecosystems are built using marine-grade stainless steel connections and tough floats to allow them to cope in different water conditions. The floating ecosystem would be attached to the river wall so it could rise and fall during flooding.

It would be visible from the pubs and bars on the opposite bank of the river and to use looking directly down into the Ouse from North Street Gardens. St Nicks said the structure would inject life into that part of the River Ouse, allowing nature to take hold.

The charity said: “Floating Ecosystems are engineered to improve water quality within rivers as they increase aquatic life, leading to a balanced and revitalised waterscape. One of the main benefits of Floating Ecosystem units is that they require no watering and nature tends to be very effective at managing itself once we provide the structure for it to grow on.

“The ecosystem will create a wildlife habitat where there is currently very little due to the river wall.”