AN AREA of neglected woodland owned by Asda and Barnsley College is to be transformed into a urban nature reserve.
The plot will create the ‘missing link’ between the existing Dearne Valley Park which straddles the path of the river and a remaining section of the town’s old canal network.
Work on The Fleets site at Smithies must start by April 1 next year but it is hoped workers will move in before that deadline to start reclaiming paths which have been overgrown and unusable and to open up the area to an extent which will deter those anti-social behaviour, without affecting its status as a wildlife haven.
The project has been under negotiation for two years and is being financed with £86,000 of cash from Barnsley Council, paid as a ‘section 106’ contribution by a developer when an estate of new homes was constructed nearby.
Those payments are meant to pay for work which offsets the impact on communities of putting in more housing, and money from the council is being match funded by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.
The site covers land behind Asda’s Old Mill Lane store, which bosses were apparently unaware the company owned, and a further section owned by Barnsley College.
Historically, some of the site had been used as recreation area for the Star Paper Mill, which closed in the 1970s, including a bowling green which has become so overgrown it can no longer be recognised.
With the site fringing the River Dearne and Fleets fishing lake, which is privately owned and not included in the scheme, the area is recognised as home to a diverse range of wildlife.
Coun Phillip Lofts has been at the forefront of negotiations to make progress with the scheme, which will see Yorkshire Wildlife Trust manage the site on a long-term basis.
He said: “This is the missing link between the Dearne Valley Park and the canal. We already have volunteers who come on a regular basis, litter picking and clearing the paths.
“Yorkshire Wildlife Trust has said it is a habitat for a lot of species of specific interest.”
Because of its close proximity to housing, the area attracts youths and others for drinking and antisocial activities, with volunteers clearing up after them.
“The whole area needs taking from destructive use to constructive use,” he said. “People are drinking there and there are some incidents of drug abuse.
“Youths buy alcohol, collect wheelie bins on the way there then set fire to the bins and smash their bottles.
“We go along to clear it up and then they do it again.”
The aim is to ensure there are easily accessible paths, with the objective of making the area open to wheelchair users, but also to open up sightlines to discourage antisocial behaviour.
A new steering group will be established to oversee developments on site.
