Leeds nature reserve created from former surface mine

St Aidan’s all set to open as new nature park following 10 years of site rehabilitation work

A FORMER surface coal mine is all set to open as a brand-new RSPB nature reserve on the outskirts of Leeds, specifically designed for both people and wildlife.

With more than eight miles of interconnected footpaths, bridleways and cycle paths throughout the St Aidan’s site on the banks of the River Aire, visitors will have new opportunities to explore the natural world when the nature park opens to the public on 25 May.

St Aidan’s worked as a surface coal mine in the 1980s but suffered setbacks following a massive flooding of the site in 1984. Following the inundation, further work was carried out to recover more coal and realign the Aire and Calder.

For the last 10 years, however, UK Coal, Harworth Estates, Leeds City Council and the RSPB have been working together to restore the site, which has rapidly become one of the best wildlife habitats in the country.

Darren Starkey, RSPB site manager for the Aire Valley, said: ‘It has taken us more than a decade to get to this point, but we’re all excited to be able to finally open up the space to the public and invite people in to get closer to nature.’

UK Coal’s land-rehabilitation specialists have created nearly 400ha of grassland, reed beds, woodland, open water and islands at the site, all of which are carefully zoned so that a number of different activities can be carried out without compromising the wildlife of the site.

St Aidan’s is also well known to plant enthusiasts as home to Europe’s largest preserved walking dragline – a tribute to the site’s industrial heritage.