THE purchase of land at The Basins, in Wellington, was formally approved by district councillors on Tuesday.

The decision to buy 62.5 acres of land stretching from the derelict Fox’s woollen mill in Tonedale, past Springfield Road, and to Hilly Head, in Rockwell Green, was passed unanimously.

Once the land is owned by the district council it plans to immediately give a 125-year lease to Wellington Town Council to manage it.

Tentative plans have been drawn up to use part of the area for a community farm and to create new junior playing pitches and extend the town council’s Basins allotments.

The rest of the area would effectively be a country park for public use, allowing cycling and walking routes to be enhanced between Rockwell Green and Tonedale.

The district failed last year in a bid for Government funding to cover the cost of the acquisition and instead was forced to use community infrastructure levy (CIL) funds, money which comes from housing developers.

Town councillors agreed earlier this year to remain on standby to negotiate the purchase themselves should the district’s second attempt also fail.

District councillor Mike Rigby, portfolio holder for economic development, planning, and transportation, told councillors on Tuesday it was an investment in a ‘large and important plot of land in Wellington for community use’.

Cllr Rigby said: “I think it is a fabulous idea in terms of what it brings for the community in Wellington.”

Town and district Cllr Janet Lloyd wholeheartedly supported the project, which she said complemented the town council’s recent purchase of Westford Field next to the Basins land.

Cllr Lloyd said: “We will have a swathe of greenery from the mill past our current allotments, which are not big enough, through Westford across the railway lines.”

Cllr Andy Govier, a town councillor who also represents Wellington on the district and county councils, said it was from Wellington’s perspective one of the most important decisions the district had made.

He said: “It is a wonderful piece of land which runs through the heart of the Rockwell Green and Wellington communities and it is incredibly important.

“This will be a legacy way into the future and for future generations of people from Wellington and further afield because I can see this being an attraction that can bring more people into the town.”

Wellington Mayor Cllr Mark Lithgow said he was ‘absolutely delighted’.

Cllr Lithgow said the town council had been in the process of doing a deal itself until the district council stepped up to the plate and took over, for which he was grateful.

Councillors were told the deal did not include the two Basins ponds or various streams crossing the area, which were separately owned and were the subject of negotiations for the town council to buy them.