Future secured for Wakefield country parks

Wakefield Council has received notification from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) that the Government has agreed in principle to the release of £4.9m funding for the long-term management and maintenance of three country parks.

The funding from central Government, otherwise known as dowries, guarantees £4.9m and will help secure the long term future of Frickley, Fryston and Rabbit Ings country parks, created from former coalfield sites remediated as part of the National Coalfield Programme that was managed by the HCA.

In October 2008, Wakefield Council Cabinet agreed that three former coalfield sites (Frickley, Fryston and Rabbit Ings) should be transferred to the Land Trust, a charity that manages green open spaces on behalf of local communities.

The funding will transfer directly from the HCA to the Land Trust and will fund ongoing management and maintenance of each site as public green spaces. The trust ensures that such spaces deliver substantial community benefits - improving health, creating social cohesion, boosting the economy, providing educational resources and creating environmental improvements. 

A report going to Cabinet will look at using an additional existing budget that was provided by the Coal Board in 1997 specifically for the Frickley site. The transfer of this money to the Land Trust will contribute towards the long term running of the Frickley site and along with the dowry will secure the £6.6m needed to run all three sites.

Cllr Denise Jeffery, Wakefield Council’s cabinet member for Regeneration and Economic Growth, said:

“This money is fantastic news for these country parks. It ensures their future is secure and that they can be properly maintained for visitors to enjoy. We will work closely with local residents and businesses, along with the Land Trust and the HCA, to make the transfer as quick and smooth as possible.”

The report also recommends that local advisory panels are set up on each site, made up of local residents and representatives of the Land Trust. These panels will initially meet quarterly and provide a way for local people and voluntary organisations to help contribute to the successful management of each site. The advisory panel will be an opportunity for residents to get involved and will operate in parallel to the ‘Friends of’ groups, who will be invited to contribute a representative to the panel.

Naz Parkar, head of area for the HCA, said:

“It is great news that we have been able to work with the Council to ensure a long term future for these fantastic community assets. The Land Trust has the expertise to ensure that these three sites will be managed for the benefit of all local residents.”

The Council is finalising discussion for the transfer of the sites and site notices were posted in January to this effect.

Euan Hall, Chief Executive of the Land Trust, concluded:

"The addition of Frickley, Fryston and Rabbit Ings to our portfolio enables us to achieve even more across the Yorkshire region. Open spaces are instrumental in creating and maintaining an area’s desirability and by securing the long term future of these three sites we are confident that generations to come will see these spaces as true assets for their respective communities."