Repair work to disintegrating waterside at Pontefract Park lake not for another year

The banks around the lake at the popular beauty spot have been eroding for several years.

The public is currently banned from accessing parts of the perimeter as is has become a safety hazard.

In 2021, Wakefield Council agreed to invest £1.3m to repair the damage.

Plans include new platforms for anglers as well as cultivation to promote wildlife within the lake.

A meeting heard delays in starting the work are partly due to legislation changes which mean the lake has been reclassified as a reservoir due to its size.

Tim Johnson, the council’s green space and countryside manager, said the lake will not provide water for consumption work but, because of the law change, additional structural work needs to be carried out.

Mr Johnson told the council’s licensing committee, who act as park trustees, that a decision had been taken to combine the works.

He said: “The intention is to put it out to tender, ready to be delivered next year.

“You will see nothing happening there until late October or next winter.”

The officer added: “There is no guarantee it will happen next year.

“That is the plan, but we all know the stumbling blocks it has to go through which can standing in the way – funding, planning etc.

“It is a legal requirement to do some of these works because it is now classed as a reservoir.”

Pontefract Park is the largest urban park in the Wakefield district.

It is owned and managed by Wakefield Council and Pontefract Park Race Company.

Pontefract Racecourse surrounds the lake.

Mr Johnson said: “We were looking to do the work outside the racing season because, obviously, it would put a risk to racing at the site.

“We were looking at running the repair works between October and February or March time.”

A local angling group was consulted by the local authority over the repairs in the hope of reviving the lake as a fishing destination.

Mr Johnson said the group has withdrawn its support due to the delays.

He added: “Unfortunately, I don’t think they are going to want to commit anything more to the park until there is something definite, moving forward.”