'Win-win' for Pontefract Park as angling club set to take over management of lake

Pontefract Angling Club will fish and manage the lake under a licensing deal signed off by Wakefield Council on Wednesday.

Under the agreement, the club will be asked to enhance the water as a natural habitat for animals, keep it clean and crack down on unlicensed anglers.

The council said the move would complement the improvements it's making around the park and on the lakeside and that the arrangement will benefit park users.

Speaking at a licensing committee on Wednesday, where the plan was approved, council officer Ian Rowland said: "The lake needs looking after properly.

"We've approached other groups and clubs over the last 10 years or so about managing it, but once they saw what responsibilities they'd be taking on, their interest suddenly cooled over a period of time and died out.

"This group is really keen and dedicated, and they're fully committed to taking this all on board.

Mr Rowland said that international fishing competitions, which had once been a regular feature at Pontefract Park in the 1970s and 80s, could return to the venue with the club's stewardship.

The club is keen to grow the sport in the area locally, with taster sessions and coaching likely to be offered to interested novices, according to a council report.

It's also believed that the presence of the club will deter anti-social behaviour which has afflicted the park in recent times.

Pontefract North councillor and licensing committee member Clive Tennant said: "They are a very keen group and they're already doing sterling work cleaning out the lake on a constant basis.

"They police it as well.

"It's a win-win as far as I'm concerned. I think it will be a great asset."

Local Democracy Reporting Service