Ex-Baildon Moor reservoir site could create wetlands habitat

The former Baildon Moor reservoir site was targeted by fly-tippers after its reservoirs were drained

Bradford Council says land previously targeted by fly-tippers could be transformed into a new wetland habitat.

Initial work had started at the ex-Baildon Moor reservoir site, the council said, with the plan having "multiple benefits for nature and the surrounding area".

The authority gained control of the land in 2021 after a legal battle.

Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw said the project would be a "long process", but "worth it for the great benefits".

The restoration of the 3.9-acre site - formerly home to three reservoirs - would take "at least three years", a council spokesperson said.

But the bulk of the work would only go ahead if funding to pay for it could be found, they added.

The project at the site will only go ahead if sufficient funding is found, the local authority says

Planning permission would also be needed.

The habitat "would increase biodiversity, make the land more resistant to wildfire and protect the surrounding area from flooding", the spokesperson added.

Councillor Ross-Shaw, Bradford Council's portfolio holder for regeneration, transport and planning, said: "The work needed to achieve a wetland habitat which would compliment the existing moorland will not be possible without a long process to remediate and restore the land.

"But it will be worth it for the great benefits it will reap for the site and for the people of Baildon."

Members of the public will be consulted on the plans "once a feasible outline scheme is developed," said the spokesperson.