Baildon Moor Reservoir Destruction - July 2011
Showing how contractors are driving on to the moor, into the long grasses, to secure access for their activities. Here we see an arboreal contractor with wood chipper. Motorised vehicles are banned from the moor. Piles of wood chippings were left as waste on the moor after this activity.
2016 Update: this set charts the demolition of the Baildon Moor Reservoirs which began in 2012. Most of the set is from the first stage of demolition, with a further period of activity in late 2013 when the stone linings were removed. In 14-15 a little wildness returned to the site as represented by nesting Oystercatchers. As of early 2016 what remained of the reservoirs is being infilled as the site is prepared for some sort of development. As this is mostly a legacy set I suggest you consult local media for more recent news, for example Bradford T&A has covered the story.
2013 update: work resumed (October 2013) on the significant demolition activity on the historic Baildon Moor reservoir site. All of the reservoirs have essentially been demolished, with the lining stone being stripped out for reuse. Further clearing of vegetation took place, including the attractive patch of heather and bilberry which covered the bank of the bottom reservoir. Given that there is Green Hairstreak butterfly colony a few tens of yards from the reservoir wall, who knows what flora and fauna have been lost. We are left with three large muddy pits, little in the way of vegetation and an increasingly damaged perimeter wall which the owners seem to have given up on. The site is available to let, but one wonders what sort of use might be deemed "suitable" in this moorland environment.
We have made enquiries to the Parish Council and to Friends of Baildon Moor as to what this most recent development activity might be leading towards, as we have been unable to find any development proposals in the public domain. Nobody seems very sure, but the development of fishing lakes has been suggested as one possibility. I have nothing to verify that though.
To me the best two solutions would be either to 1) complete the demolition, remove the boundary wall and return the area to common land with the aid of some ecological restoration, or 2) develop the site as a nature reserve, in a similar way to other post-industrial sites like opencast workings. This latter option could involve development of a wetland (given that the largest areas of open water on the moor have now been lost), perhaps with the sponsorship of some organisation like the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. I expect the land owner has more economically lucrative aspirations though.
The images in this set do get frequently viewed, and there seems to be no-one else recording the activity, so I'll continue to do so. This is personal activity motivated by my concern for the visual effect on the surrounding moorland environment, damage to the heritage of the area and inappropriate development in a special place. Hopefully the hundreds of other of my images and journal entries that I've made available on Flickr and Blipfoto, of the moor, its wildlife and local heritage stand as some testimony to my long-standing affection for this place.
Background:
In July 2011 contractors moved onto the site of the Baildon Moor Reservoirs and began clearing it of vegetation and knocking through the two lower reservoirs. This came as a surprise to members of the local community and led to widespread concern. It emerged that the actions related to the proposed development of some sort of water-based recreational centre. No planning application had been submitted for the work.
After listening to public concern about the development and the manner in which it was being conducted, Baildon Parish Council issued a statement about the developments which can be viewed here: baildonparishcouncil.gov.uk/website/index.php/doc-remos/M...
After the major ground work had been completed the site went quiet over the winter of 2011/12. The lower two reservoirs refilled, but to such a height that new concerns were expressed, and according to the Friends of Baildon Moor (see minutes of the Feb 2012 Committee Meeting here: baildonmoor.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Feb-... ) the reservoirs were drained, and a civil engineer from Bradford Council has ordered that no further work be done until a full survey had been conducted, and appropriate plans submitted for approval, this justifying some of the initial concerns of residents.
Although this set focuses on the initial stage of clearance, I will update it periodically with any further visible evidence of developments on site.
Baildon Moor Reservoir Destruction - July 2011
Showing how contractors are driving on to the moor, into the long grasses, to secure access for their activities. Here we see an arboreal contractor with wood chipper. Motorised vehicles are banned from the moor. Piles of wood chippings were left as waste on the moor after this activity.
2016 Update: this set charts the demolition of the Baildon Moor Reservoirs which began in 2012. Most of the set is from the first stage of demolition, with a further period of activity in late 2013 when the stone linings were removed. In 14-15 a little wildness returned to the site as represented by nesting Oystercatchers. As of early 2016 what remained of the reservoirs is being infilled as the site is prepared for some sort of development. As this is mostly a legacy set I suggest you consult local media for more recent news, for example Bradford T&A has covered the story.
2013 update: work resumed (October 2013) on the significant demolition activity on the historic Baildon Moor reservoir site. All of the reservoirs have essentially been demolished, with the lining stone being stripped out for reuse. Further clearing of vegetation took place, including the attractive patch of heather and bilberry which covered the bank of the bottom reservoir. Given that there is Green Hairstreak butterfly colony a few tens of yards from the reservoir wall, who knows what flora and fauna have been lost. We are left with three large muddy pits, little in the way of vegetation and an increasingly damaged perimeter wall which the owners seem to have given up on. The site is available to let, but one wonders what sort of use might be deemed "suitable" in this moorland environment.
We have made enquiries to the Parish Council and to Friends of Baildon Moor as to what this most recent development activity might be leading towards, as we have been unable to find any development proposals in the public domain. Nobody seems very sure, but the development of fishing lakes has been suggested as one possibility. I have nothing to verify that though.
To me the best two solutions would be either to 1) complete the demolition, remove the boundary wall and return the area to common land with the aid of some ecological restoration, or 2) develop the site as a nature reserve, in a similar way to other post-industrial sites like opencast workings. This latter option could involve development of a wetland (given that the largest areas of open water on the moor have now been lost), perhaps with the sponsorship of some organisation like the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. I expect the land owner has more economically lucrative aspirations though.
The images in this set do get frequently viewed, and there seems to be no-one else recording the activity, so I'll continue to do so. This is personal activity motivated by my concern for the visual effect on the surrounding moorland environment, damage to the heritage of the area and inappropriate development in a special place. Hopefully the hundreds of other of my images and journal entries that I've made available on Flickr and Blipfoto, of the moor, its wildlife and local heritage stand as some testimony to my long-standing affection for this place.
Background:
In July 2011 contractors moved onto the site of the Baildon Moor Reservoirs and began clearing it of vegetation and knocking through the two lower reservoirs. This came as a surprise to members of the local community and led to widespread concern. It emerged that the actions related to the proposed development of some sort of water-based recreational centre. No planning application had been submitted for the work.
After listening to public concern about the development and the manner in which it was being conducted, Baildon Parish Council issued a statement about the developments which can be viewed here: baildonparishcouncil.gov.uk/website/index.php/doc-remos/M...
After the major ground work had been completed the site went quiet over the winter of 2011/12. The lower two reservoirs refilled, but to such a height that new concerns were expressed, and according to the Friends of Baildon Moor (see minutes of the Feb 2012 Committee Meeting here: baildonmoor.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Feb-... ) the reservoirs were drained, and a civil engineer from Bradford Council has ordered that no further work be done until a full survey had been conducted, and appropriate plans submitted for approval, this justifying some of the initial concerns of residents.
Although this set focuses on the initial stage of clearance, I will update it periodically with any further visible evidence of developments on site.