Plan for 1,000 homes on Welbeck Landfill Site leaves neighbours feeling ‘betrayed’

People living near a rubbish tip say they have been ‘betrayed’ as plans for up to a thousand new homes were revealed for land that was pledged to be a public park, a campaigner has said.
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Welbeck Landfill Site in Normanton has processed rubbish for more than 20 years with the understanding that the site would be returned to nature after the lease – which has been extended to 2026 – was up.

But Wakefield Council held a meeting on Friday where proposals for up to 1,000 homes at the site were revealed.

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Campaigner Paul Dainton, the president of campaign group RATS, said going through with the plan would be a betrayal of residents.

Welbeck Landfill SiteWelbeck Landfill Site
Welbeck Landfill Site

He said: “Throughout 25 years of broken promises and breaches of the site licence the one fact that has been consistent has been the promise of full restoration and development of the wildlife park, complete with walking trails, pony riding, wildlife habitat, and other green features.

“So after 25 years residents now face losing hundreds of hectors of promised reinstated greenbelt parkland.”

Mr Dainton said the fact that artist’s impressions, an idea of costs and financial benefit, and the number of houses proposed were included in the meeting suggested the plans were likely to go ahead.

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Coun Olivia Rowley, who was also at the meeting, said she would oppose the development but said the proposals were at an early stage and may or may not appear in council’s Local Plan – its long-term strategy for housing and business.

Tom Stannard, corporate director for regeneration and economic growth at Wakefield Council, said: “The council remains committed to ensuring that FCC return the site to nature and give local people a new recreation area that they, and future generations, can enjoy once the landfill agreement has been completed in 2025. FCC, the leaseholder of the Welbeck site, has now approached the council about the possibility of a portion of the land, adjacent to the site, being developed for housing. This idea is at a very early stage and is subject to further feasibility work. Any plans would need to be included in the Local Plan and would go through an appropriate consultation and assessment process.

“In the Local Plan the land is allocated as greenbelt and there are no plans to change this.”