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Bentinck plan to create jobs
AMBITIOUS plans that will create more than 100 new jobs and regenerate the former Bentinck tip site have been submitted to Nottinghamshire County Council.
Broomco, which owns the former colliery spoil tip, but not the void area, unveiled far-reaching proposals to create a country park offering a host of outdoor activities across the 87-hectare site, close to Selston last March.
The park would become known as the Portland – which comes from the names of previous coal mining shafts at the site before it was used for tipping – and an 18-hole golf course, equestrian centre, fishing ponds, a camping and caravan site, football pitches and outdoor classrooms are among the facilities proposed.
The project is designed to be environmentally sustainable with two wind turbines planned and there would also be office space for small businesses.
If the plans are approved, work on the site will begin later this year and some of the facilities such as the football pitches, driving range and the first nine holes of the golf course could open in 2015 or 2016.
The other facilities could be open during 2017 or 2018 once the restoration is complete.
A spokesman for Broomco said: “The Portland has remained an eyesore and a blot on the landscape for far too long.
“By working with the community and interest groups, we believe we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to restore the former pit tip.
“We are committed to delivering a high quality restoration scheme that truly provides benefits to the community.
“The range of recreational, sporting and tourist uses on the Portland will appeal to every age group and it will provide a range of employment opportunities and attract people into the area which can only be good for the local economy.”
Although some of the site has previously been restored to rough grassland, the majority of it is made up of exposed colliery waste and silt lagoons.
In 2010, the county council threw out plans by Waste Recycling Group to build a landfill at the site and it was later designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) because of its wildlife.
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Weather for Eastwood
Wednesday 23 May 2012
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