New wetlands will promote wildlife and reduce flood risk, residents told

A double wetlands development between two Barnsley communities is expected to provide extra resilience against flooding as well as creating new wildlife habitats.
Biodiversity: Barnsley Council promotes wildlife projectsBiodiversity: Barnsley Council promotes wildlife projects
Biodiversity: Barnsley Council promotes wildlife projects

A double wetlands development between two Barnsley communities is expected to provide extra resilience against flooding as well as creating new wildlife habitats.

Councillors have approved both schemes, which formed one planning application, for adjacent sites between Wombwell and Darfield, with Barnsley Council itself owning one of the sites.

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The sites are known as Doveside and Wings Across the Ings, and work will include installing bunds and a weir, to allow water to gather at the sites and also to flow into the River Dove.

Some residents in the area had raised concerns about the increased potential for flooding, because of increased quantities of water near their homes, but expert opinion is that one of the schemes will help alleviate flooding risk, with the other having a neutral impact.

Both are in the green belt, at sites which are not accessible to the public, and because there is nothing in the changes to alter the openness of the area, neither scheme was regarded as being incompatible with rules surrounding green belt developments.

An advantage to the changes is that they are expected to promote biodiversity and may help to reverse declining numbers of wildfowl.

Councillors on Barnsley Council's planning board made a site visit before approving the work.