Slag heap to become nature spot

A slag heap formed of waste from a former steelworks is being transformed into a nature reserve for the public to enjoy.


Cumbria County Council has teamed up with the site’s owners, waste firm Shanks, to tackle the mountain of waste beside a key route into Barrow, in Cumbria.

Shanks inherited the responsibility to carry out the restoration work after it bought Caird, the company that owned the site in the 1990s.

Work on the site began in August and the county council is now set to approve further work to improve public access to the slag bank.

The council’s Cabinet will meet on December 9 to decide whether to approve a £490,000 landscaping project to open the site for visitors, and a further £150,000 of spending to improve the road leading to the site, including installing a car park.

The work will be funded by the North West Development Agency as part of its Land Reclamation Programme in Cumbria.

A council spokesman told edie: “The scheme has been in the offing since the beginning of 2008 and works on site began in August.

“The first phase of works being carried out by Shanks – mainly putting topsoil back on so grass can grow on it – is almost complete and we anticipate that the slag bank will be completely covered with soil by the end of the year.

“Phase two of the project will see enhancements to the landscaping and access.”

Council leaders will also be asked to approve a £60,000 feasibility study into further improvements that can be made along the A590 into Barrow, where the slag heap is located.

Kate Martin

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