Wakefield, United Kingdom
City population: 330254
Duration: pre-1990 – unknown
Implementation status: Completed
Scale: Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level
Project area: unknown
Type of area: Previous derelict area, Public Greenspace Area, Other
Last updated: June 2024

"Anglers Country Park (and a local nature reserve) is dominated by a lake, surrounded by grassland, woodland and a wetland area." "This originally farmed landscape was dramatically changed when it became one of the deepest opencast mines in Europe, reaching a depth of 250 feet." Restoration work began after the mine closed, creating the country park. (Ref. 1, 2)

Anglers Country Park
Anglers Country Park
Wakefield Council, retrieved 08/29/2018 from Kate Lahive

Overview

Nature-based solution

  • Blue infrastructure
  • Lakes/ponds
  • In-land wetlands, peatlands, swamps, and moors
  • Parks and urban forests
  • Large urban parks or forests

Key challenges

  • Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
  • Habitat and biodiversity restoration
  • Green space creation and/or management
  • Regeneration, land-use and urban development
  • Conversion of former industrial areas
  • Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
  • Water management (SDG 6)
  • Stormwater and rainfall management and storage
  • Health and well-being (SDG 3)
  • Enabling opportunities for physical activity
  • Improving physical health
  • Creation of opportunities for recreation

Focus

Maintenance and management of urban nature, Ecological restoration of ecosystems

Project objectives

Part of the council's industrial land reclamation to rectify areas damaged by coal mining (and other industrial activities), thus creating a country park and a haven for wildlife. (Ref. 3, 4, 5) The two-mile path around the lake is both wheelchair and pushchair friendly and electric mobility scooters are available free of charge for use within the park. (Ref 12)

Implementation activities

Restoration works began with the creation of the lake which took 2 years to complete (1982-1984), works included “275 million gallons of water were pumped from the disused Walton Colliery”. (Ref. 2) Creation of a local nature reserve: managed to protect and improve its habitats for the benefit of wildlife. (Ref. 1) Since the opening of the park, "it has become one of the most important inland bird sites in Yorkshire, the lake being a haven for migratory birds, particularly wintering wildfowl". (Ref. 2) Visitors enjoy the open rolling landscape, enjoy walking, picnicking, wildlife and bird watching as well as the new Room on the Broom adventure trail. (Ref 11)

Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities

Biodiversity restoration:

  • Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)
  • Restore valued species
  • Restore ecological connectivity

Main beneficiaries

  • Local government/Municipality
  • Citizens or community groups
  • Marginalized groups: People with functional diversities

Governance

Management set-up

  • Government-led

Type of initiating organisation

  • Local government/municipality

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Dissemination of information and education
  • Co-management/Joint management

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

Reclaimed former colliery/ mineral extraction site, managed by the Council. (Ref. 1, 2, 6) Management of the site, e.g. the local nature reserve includes volunteers. (Ref. 1) The Friends of Haw Park Wood and Wintersett (which help the Countryside Officers (rangers) to manage the site). (Ref. 1)

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? Unknown
... a national policy or strategy? Unknown
... a local policy or strategy? Yes (Part of the Council's investment in industrial land reclamation, creating e.g. country parks (i.e. Anglers Country Park), for environmental benefits. (Ref. 5, 3) )

Financing

Total cost

Unknown

Source(s) of funding

  • Public local authority budget

Type of funding

  • Earmarked public budget

Non-financial contribution

Type of non-financial contribution
  • Provision of labour
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
  • Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
  • Citizens (e.g. volunteering)

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

  • Green space and habitat
  • Increased green space area
  • Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
  • Increased ecological connectivity across regeneration sites and scales
  • Increased number of species present
  • Increased protection of threatened species
  • Restoration of derelict areas
  • Other

Economic impacts

  • Unknown

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Social justice and cohesion
  • Increased visibility and opportunity for marginalised groups or indigenous peoples
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Improved mental health
  • Improved physical health
  • Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
  • Education
  • Increased support for education and scientific research
  • Increased knowledge of locals about local nature

Type of reported impacts

Expected impacts, Achieved impacts

Presence of formal monitoring system

Unknown

Presence of indicators used in reporting

No evidence in public records

Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports

No evidence in public records

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No evidence in public records

References

Ref. 1. Wakefield Council (n.d.) Anglers Country Park. Parks and countryside. Information obtained: 2017-07-11. Source: Source link [Accessed 28 September 2020]
Ref. 2. Friends of Haw park wood & Wintersett (2017) Anglers Country Park. Information obtained: 2017-07-11. [Website not available in 2020]
Ref. 3. Wakefield Council (n.d.) Land Reclamation. Consultation Portal. Information obtained: 2017-07-11. Source: Source link [Accessed 28 September 2020]
Ref. 4. City of Wakefield Metropolitian District Council (n.d.) Four easy to follow walks from the Waterton countryside discovery centre. Source: Source link [Accessed 28 September 2020]
Ref. 5. Wakefield Council (2010) Wakefield Green Infrastructure Plan. Oct. 2010. Source: Source link [Accessed 28 September 2020]
Ref. 6. Wakefield Council (2015) Leisure, recreation and open space local plan. Evidence base report. Source: Source link [Accessed 28 September 2020]
Ref. 7. Wakefield Council (n.d.) Water resources. Outdoor water sports and leisure. Consultation Portal. Information obtained: 2017-07-11. Source: Source link [Accessed 28 September 2020]
Ref. 8. Wakefield Council (2015) Lofthouse Colliery Nature Park: Management Plan 2015–2020. Source: Source link [Accessed 28 September 2020]
Ref. 9. BBC (2014) Nature Walks. Bradford & West Yorkshire. Information obtained: 2017-07-11. Source: Source link [Accessed 28 September 2020]
Ref. 10. Experience Wakefield (2020). Anglers Country Park. Source: Source link [Accessed 28 September 2020]
Ref. 11. Welcome to Yorkshire (n.d.) Anglers Country Park. Source: Source link [Accessed 28 September 2020]