Wakefield: Welbeck Landfill Site to be turned into country park

The site near Normanton has attracted complaints since it opened in 1998

Plans to turn a rubbish tip in West Yorkshire into a country park have been given the go-ahead.

Funding of £275,000 will pay for the first phase of work to transform Welbeck Landfill Site near Normanton into a "must-see destination".

Named Welbeck Country Park, the 200-hectare site will include walking trails, natural woodlands, cycling and areas for viewing wildlife.

The council meeting heard the plans had been a long time in the making.

The first phase of the project is expected to take around three years to complete.

Cabinet member for environment and climate change Jack Hemingway said: "This has been a long road for everyone concerned.

"But our commitment to the site's future as a green space for nature is crystal clear.

"This is about keeping faith with our residents and honouring long-standing commitments."

More work is expected to be carried out over the next 15 years as more sections of the landfill site are restored.

Future facilities could include a visitor centre, a café and a cycling hub, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The area was a quarry before it became a landfill site in 1998.

Mr Hemingway said the site had stunning views

A report to councillors said there was "a level of uncertainty" around the timeline for completion of the landfill operations due to a legal challenge by tip operators Welbeck Waste Management Ltd (WWML).

In November, the council's planning committee rejected the company's application to continue tipping waste at the site for two extra years. Its current lease agreement expires in 2033, according to a council report.

The decision has gone to appeal and a Planning Inspectorate hearing is expected to take place later this year.

WWML said it needed more time to fill the remaining capacity at the site due to a shortage of materials going to landfill.

'Smelly eyesore'

Mr Hemingway added: "While we all await the outcome of the Planning Inspector's decision for the rest of the site, what we can do is commence work on what we have already had returned to us."

He said they would continue to work with WWML to "ensure they fulfil their part of the whole site restoration".

He said he believed the site would "become a must-visit destination for walking and cycling" and added: "Its days as a landfill site must come to an end."

Cabinet member Michael Graham said: "I remember attending a meeting once where people were talking about how long they have been fighting for this and how long they have been trying to get it turned into something better, rather than a smelly eyesore."