Natural Course is a collaborative project between The Environment Agency, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Natural England, the Rivers Trust and United Utilities.

It is an EU LIFE Integrated project.
Find out more about LIFE on the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency website.

Environment Agency

The Environment Agency works to create better places for people and wildlife, and support sustainable development. They’re a non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs.

The agency’s principal aim is to protect or enhance the environment, in order to contribute towards attaining the objective of sustainable development. The Environment Agency will be playing the part as co-ordinating beneficiary for Natural Course. Natural Course will help the Environment Agency seek new initiatives to achieving and maintaining ‘good water status’ in water courses in North West England, through partnership working with organisations from public, private and third sector.

Greater Manchester Combined Authority

The GMCA is made up of the ten Greater Manchester councils and the Mayor, who work with other local services, businesses, communities and other partners to improve the city-region.
 
The ten councils (Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan) have worked together voluntarily for many years on issues that affect everyone in the region, like transport, regeneration, and attracting investment.

The GMCA is developing an integrated approach to strategic planning across the region through the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF), a significant opportunity to manage Natural Capital in the context of the wider economic, social, growth and infrastructure plans for the city region.

Natural Course will help the GMCA to continue to regenerate and manage Natural Capital and make Greater Manchester a better place to live, work and invest in.

Natural England

Natural England is the government agency that advises on the natural environment, helping to protect England’s nature and landscapes for people to enjoy and for the services they provide.  

As part of Natural Course, Natural England will look to improve water quality and habitats in the special rivers and lakes of the North West. To do this they will support river restoration strategies and promote innovative techniques in water quality improvements.

Natural England will deliver water quality improvements through enhanced delivery of their Countryside Stewardship and Catchment Sensitive Farming schemes, using partnerships to develop new and existing relationships, finding ways to share learning and initiate meaningful links with new partners.

Rivers Trust

The Rivers Trust is the umbrella body for the rivers trust movement, working locally to restore and protect rivers for the benefit of the community and environment.

With extensive local knowledge and connections to the local community, local rivers trusts will be key to the delivery of Natural Course. The project will support and build on the Catchment Based Approach (CaBA) and will work with the following catchment hosts in the North West: Groundwork, Mersey Rivers Trust, Lune Rivers Trust, Ribble Rivers Trust, South Cumbria Rivers Trust, West Cumbria Rivers Trust, Wyre Rivers Trust.

Working together, the above contributors are currently in the process of assembling a broad range of data and evidence to guide actions across the North West River Basin District. 

United Utilities

United Utilities provides water and wastewater services for 7 million people across the North West of England. They have delivered significant improvements in the water environment over the last 25 years through investment programmes.

Natural Course will help United Utilities identify cost effective alternatives to reaching water quality targets, particularly in highly urbanised environments where treatment works are particularly expensive. Natural Course will be a vital project that will help United Utilities meet the environmental objectives without burdening customers with unaffordable bills.