An initiative suggested by Harpenden West Conservative Cllr Julian Daly when he was Portfolio Holder to re-use soil excavated during the building of the new Leisure and Culture Centre in Rothamsted Park will be a huge boost to the local environment.
The project will see the soil used to level the football pitch on the Park, making it more useable for the community teams that play there.
The alternative would have required the Council to find an offsite landfill location for the spoil and would have hit Harpenden taxpayers through consequential landfill charges. Re-using the soil in the Park avoids the need for hundreds of lorry trips via Amenbury Lane to remove the soil - hugely reducing the environmental impact of the project. It saves the District Council £0.3m.
The project will also improve water retention in the Park and thereby reduce the flooding risk for residents living on Leyton Road.
Overall, this initiative is great news for our local environment and for local taxpayers.
