The Bluespaces scheme focuses on partnership funding to deliver improvements to areas where the water environment can be accessed and enjoyed by our customers.
Projects are often developed and delivered in partnership, with seed and co-funding a key element of our approach to support partners’ wider ambitions.
The scheme now offers 3 different types of partnership funding:
- Candidate Project Funding - To deliver improvements on the ground to accessible water environments.
- Feasibility Project Funding - To conduct either, large scale opportunity reviews or project specific development research leading to candidate projects.
- Maintenance Project Funding - To support previous projects.
What We Have Delivered
So far, Bluespaces has helped deliver over 6000 volunteer days and engaged over 700 volunteers across 59 projects. Our co-funding has helped plant nearly 19,000new trees, created over 400 ha of new wetland, and helped tackle 8 different kinds of invasive non-native species (INNS), as well as enhancing access to bluespaces and recreational facilities near water environments for local communities.
same areas of interest shown on the map.
Northumbrian Water Group (NWG) incorporates Northumbrian Water (NW) and Essex & Suffolk Water (ESW).
Our customers have asked us to work in partnership to improve the water environment, focusing on a wide range of improvements in areas where they can access and enjoy water and its wildlife, and the associated health and wellbeing benefits. A scheme has been developed to allow us to address this challenge and do more to protect and improve the water environment in our regions.
The Bluespaces Team brings together NW and lead delivery partners for NW (Durham wildlife Trust) and for ESW (Essex and Suffolk Rivers Trust), to work together to develop and deliver the programme.
The team has identified over 3,800 km of bluespaces (accessible water environment) linked to streams and rivers, lakes and reservoirs, wetlands, coasts and beaches in catchments in the North East, and over 3,700 km of bluespaces in catchments in Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk, including canals, which are accessible to the public to enjoy via public rights of way or other public access.
The Bluespaces scheme allows us to develop and deliver projects with our local environmental and catchment partners to improve a number of these areas, both at popular tourist and visitor attractions, and at sites of value to local communities. The scheme focuses on delivering packages of improvements across three improvement areas: access and recreational facilities; wildlife and biodiversity; and water quality.
For examples of the type of improvements that could be delivered through the Bluespaces programme, see here.
Bluespaces are the environments covering or close to all surface water within our regions.
This includes streams, rivers, ditches, lakes, reservoirs, ponds, wetlands, fens, bogs, marshes, reedbeds, canals, coasts and beaches.
NWG defines bluespaces as the area around water that is freely accessible to the public via road, footpath, bridleway or other public right of way, or accessible via a free point of access, including a country park, beach or other public area.
At least one of the following factors should apply to class public access close to water as accessible water environment:
- Immediate vicinity of water (within 100m)
- Visibility of water and water associated wildlife
- Sound of water and water associated wildlife
- Touch and interaction opportunities with water
NWG has carried out high level analysis to map bluespaces in our regions. This dataset has been made available to partners via the Bluespaces mapping portals. We would like to work with partners to understand where the water environment is accessible and which areas of our regions are eligible for scheme activity.
The bluespaces scheme applies a strategic approach to working in partnership to improve the water environment in our regions.
The aim is to support, drive and deliver cost-effective projects with the greatest benefits for customers and the environment. Projects will be prioritised on benefits, costs and deliverability, with strategic support and the locations of projects and involvement of partners also considered within the programme.
In order to be eligible for the scheme, projects must impact on or be in the vicinity of bluespaces.
Projects must also include interventions which cover 2 out of 3 of the core aspects of bluespaces improvements – access, facilities & recreation, wildlife & biodiversity, and water quality (A, B and C in Table 1). At least 1 benefit indicator in 2 core aspects must be addressed.
Table 1 shows the 12 Water Environment Indicators which NWG will use to assess the benefits of Bluespaces projects. These indicators are linked to those used in the government's 25-year plan for the environment. Projects meeting a high number of indicators will be prioritised for development into Candidate Projects. These projects will deliver the greatest benefits for NWG’s customers and the environment and are more likely to be approved than projects with fewer indicators.
The Bluespaces scheme is delivered in partnership with organisations and community groups from the public, private, voluntary and education sectors in our NW and ESW operating areas.
This area of interest covers 10 management catchments:
- Till & Tweed, Northumberland Rivers, Tyne, Wear and Tees in the North East
- Broadland Rivers, East Suffolk, Combined Essex, South Essex, and Roding, Beam & Ingrebourne in East Anglia and the South East.
The full area the scheme covers is shown here.
We have expanded NWG’s area of interest for this scheme to include complete management catchments in the ESW area. This allows us to take a regional approach to partnership working and offers potential to improve the water environment in areas which may not be our key focus, but which are important to our customers.
The level of funding NWG will offer is dependent on the number of km of bluespaces which could be improved through each project and the level of benefits to be delivered for our customers and the environment.
From 2025 to 2030, our guideline for funding per km is around £10,000 depending on the needs of the project. For example, a project that enhances 3 km of accessible water environments could apply for around £30,000.
There is no upper or lower limit for funding for projects. The funding we offer is likely to be seed or match funding but could also cover the total project cost if the project is deliverable within NWG’s contribution only.
Funding is unrestricted and can be used to fund physical improvements, salary costs, and overheads. Contributions need to be linked to delivery on the ground to support km of improvements of identified water environment.
Our Bluespaces Mapping Portal shows water environments accessible to customers and considered to be bluespaces.
Please read below for guidance on how to develop your project with us.
Partners can explore the Bluespaces mapping portal to see delivered projects and get in touch by email for project proposal forms. Our full development process is shown below.
- Visit our website and speak to a member of our Bluespaces team to see if your project is eligible.
- Work with a member of the Bluespaces team to develop your project proposal.
- Once developed, your proposal will then be internally and externally reviewed.
- If your project proposal is approved, delivery starts and you send us project evidence as it is delivered.
- Once the project is complete you submit your final report of project evidence.
As this is a strategic scheme working across a multi-year plan, there are no formal submission deadlines. Projects will be developed for inclusion within NWG’s annual plans, linked to annual funding limits. NWG’s Water Environment Coordinators will work with partners to develop and support projects and aim to respond to partners as soon as possible after new information is received. Once a project is ready to be submitted for external review, it can take up to 3 months to be approved. The external Bluespaces Governance Group meets every 2 months.
Delivery timescales for scheme projects will be linked to NWG’s annual plans, based on April-March financial years. Multi-year projects may be supported.
Feedback and evidence of delivery of the improvements should be provided to NWG by successful partners during project delivery and upon project completion or 8 weeks prior to the delivery date.
Watch this video to learn more about the Bluespaces scheme
The Bluespaces scheme focuses on delivering improvements to areas where the water environment can be accessed and enjoyed by our customers.
Find out more