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Nature reserve for Leeds mine site
Council chiefs have paved the way for a former Leeds opencast mine to be at the heart of a major nature reserve.
And it is expected that the area will provide a major boost for the region's tourist economy.
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The city council's Executive Board has agreed the former St Aidan's opencast mine site, south of Swillington, can be leased at a peppercorn rent to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
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Restoration and landscaping work has been finished and the land could be handed over to the charity within the next month.
A report to the board said: "The site can then be opened to the public at very short notice."
The area of land also includes the former Lowther North opencast site,
part of Savile Colliery and Astley Lake, already a local nature reserve.
Potential
The report said St Aidan's was at the hub of an area of countryside reclamation extending from Skelton Lake through to Fairburn Ings and Wakefield.
It had the potential to be a nationally significant nature and recreation area.
A visitor centre with a cafe, shop and cycle hire could eventually be developed at the site.
Coun Stewart Golton (Lib Dem, Rothwell) said: "This fantastic regeneration initiative has been years in the making but I believe it will be worth the wait.
"People from throughout Leeds will soon be able to enjoy a beautiful nature reserve, packed with wildlife.
"With tourism on the up throughout Yorkshire, it would be great if St Aidan's could tap into that renewed enthusiasm for the region.
"This could be a really exciting opportunity for both new and existing businesses."
But he stressed that, for the sake of people living nearby, the council had to get access and car parking right from the outset.
Coun Tom Murray (Lab, Garforth and Swillington) said while it was good for south Leeds that a major national resource could be developed in the area, it was also important that local residents' concerns about traffic and other issues were properly addressed.
He added: "It is a good thing for the south of the city and I look forward to it opening because people will enjoy it immensely."
The board heard that further development of the site would be a long-term project with work done in stages.
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Weather for Leeds
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -2 C to 0 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South
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Cloudy
Temperature: 2 C to 5 C
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