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RSPB Old Moor Wetlands Centre

I am pleased to have this opportunity to draw the House’s attention to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds’s Old Moor wetlands centre in my constituency, which I believe is very much a best practice model for the Government’s sustainable communities agenda. Given the type of seat that I represent, I am an avid supporter of the Government’s sustainable communities agenda. After all, having witnessed at first hand the total devastation visited on my local communities by the previous Government’s politically motivated pit closure programme of the late 1980s and early 1990s, I know that it is important that the Government ensure that future local community development is founded on the principle of sustainability. The Old Moor centre is a classic example of the type of good practice that we as a Government need to develop, in south Yorkshire and across the rest of the country. Twenty years ago, the site of the Old Moor wetlands was part of a much larger area known as the Wath Manvers complex which, by the early 1990s, had become the largest area of despoiled land in the whole of western Europe. Something drastic needed to be done, and the three Dearne valley local authorities—Rotherham, Barnsley and Doncaster—decided to work collaboratively on the project when they won city challenge funding from the previous Government. Indeed, my local authority of Barnsley ended up being the only local authority in England to win two city challenges, which exemplifies its efficiency and effectiveness and—I am pleased to say—that continues to this day. I would say that of course, being a former leader of Barnsley council. The development of Old Moor wetlands was the brainchild of Robin Norbury, a good friend of mine, the former planning chairman on Barnsley council and member for the Darton ward. It became part of the wider regeneration city challenge project to rebrand the Dearne valley. The other flagship projects under city challenge included the development of Dearne valley college, addressing the skills deficit in the Dearne valley, and the designation of one of the last enterprise zones in England, the Dearne valley enterprise zone. All those flagship projects have been highly successful in transforming the Dearne valley into an economically and environmentally attractive area. The Government’s sustainable communities programme offers significant challenges to how we deliver genuine sustainable development. The Old Moor wetlands centre has demonstrated that it is possible to deliver green infrastructure, enhance wildlife populations and conserve natural resources while offering jobs, education and recreational opportunities to local people. The benefits from investing in wildlife and places such as the Old Moor centre are manifold. We need to convince all in Government that that is the right path to take. Old Moor has proven to be an excellent example of how green infrastructure can be developed to help contribute to the Government’s sustainable communities agenda, and that has been achieved thanks to significant support from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Yorkshire Forward and Waste Recycling Environmental Ltd. It has also built on the splendid work done by Barnsley council to create a wetland environment and bring the reserve to the point where it is nationally important for wintering wader birds. Old Moor has helped to deliver a fantastic resource for birds and people, thanks to the generosity of RSPB members and the many funding partners who have contributed. Old Moor is a demonstration of what can be achieved in the restoration of former coalfields, and I hope that that approach can be replicated across the country, as part of the Government’s sustainable communities agenda. Restoration of former coalfields has created excellent places for wildlife. The reserve buildings also feature renewable energy technologies and have provided new facilities for local communities, including conference facilities for local business and community groups.