Award for former Moss Carr surface mine

The quality, effectiveness and positive community impact of the landscaping of a former surface mine to the south-east of Leeds has been recognized in a prestigious architectural awards initiative.

The landscape management work carried out by Banks Mining at the 200ha Moss Carr site between Methley and Rothwell was the winner of the Landscape category at the annual Leeds Architectural Awards, beating off competition from five other projects from across the local area.

More than 1 million tonnes of coal were recovered from the Moss Carr site by Banks between 1997 and 2004, with initial restoration work being completed the following year.

A five-year aftercare management plan to enhance the landscape and public access to the site was agreed with Leeds City Council’s Planning Department and put into action by Banks in partnership with Mexborough Estates.

One of the largest new broadleaf woodlands in Leeds has been created,  encompassing 43,000 trees on a 30ha part of the site which links up with existing woodlands, while new playing fields have also been added on land between the site and Rothwell Sports Centre.

Other landscape features include new wetlands, a new avenue of trees, a new area of parkland, which was an extension to an existing parkland area and which is being used for deer farming, and around 6.5km of new hedges.

A new public footpath has also been added to the east of the site, running through existing woodland and linking up with existing rights of way, thereby providing new recreational opportunities. A number of other footpaths, including a section of the Leeds Country Way, have also been reinstated, with new features such as ‘green lane’ hedging and direction markers added to enhance their public value.

Organized by Leeds City Council in association with the Leeds Property Forum, the Leeds Architecture Awards are designed to bring together the property, regeneration, development and architecture communities in Leeds, to promote and celebrate design excellence in the built environment.

Celebrated architect John Lyall, who led the judging panel, said: ‘This staggeringly ambitious project, planned and executed so successfully by Banks Mining, inspired the judging panel. The restoration of such a huge area of opencast mines back to a pastoral countryside richer than before it was dug up is truly remarkable – it is a story that has to be told and copied elsewhere, and lays the lie that opencast working ruins the landscape.

‘The landscape has been enhanced with tens of thousands of trees, miles of hedgerows, and ditches and ponds sitting astride the Leeds Country Way, and the exciting attribute is that it will continue to look better and better over future years as maturity takes hold.’

Mark Dowdall, environment and community director at the Banks Group, added: ‘The restoration and management of the Moss Carr site has been a hugely detailed and carefully planned operation which was conceived long before we started working on the site. To be given this recognition is proof that we have fully delivered on the promises we made to deliver an excellent landscape once we had finished our operations.

‘We are very proud of the new landscape at Moss Carr and the facilities we have created in the area, which will be enjoyed by local people for decades to come, and also of the recognition they have now received through these prestigious awards.’