SEVERAL neglected areas of land have been earmarked in a market town as suitable for turning into wildlife spaces.

The Northallerton Environmental Enhancement Initiative this week held a public consultation in the town hall, where it unveiled the abandoned areas of land it is considering turning into thriving pockets of bio-diversity.

Several sites have been selected as long term projects, including a five acre area of land behind the recycling centre on Yafforth Road.

North Yorkshire County Council has agreed in principal to the site being used for the project, but must first go through official council procedures to hand the site over.

Land owned by Hambleton District Council running adjacent to North Beck at the top end of town is a site the project is looking to enhance. It is an area that in the past has attracted rare wildlife such as kingfishers when the beck has been prevented from becoming over-grown.

The initiative is also in talks with a private landlord about turning a site behind the Holland & Barrett store on Northallerton High Street into a wildlife oasis.

Project leader Doug Doherty said: “The Yafforth Road site would be the most ambitious in terms of logistics. What we’re looking to do at North Beck is to revitalise it as a wildlife habitat. It would be more of a clean up and enhancement, doing things like repairing the benches in conjunction with Northallerton Prison.

“These are not ‘here today gone tomorrow’ projects, they are very much meant to be a legacy.”

Four sites have been identified as suitable as ‘short term projects’ which could be turned around in very little time. They include a wetland area off Thurston Road, near the Omega Business Village, another area off East Road and land surrounding the train station.

Hambleton District Council officer Peter Cole, who is involved with the project, said it could be that some areas were used to grow vegetables for community use. He had begun looking at sites in the town for growing food with the Northallerton Local Food Matters Group about two years ago.

He said: “Doug approached us about this project and that’s given us fresh impetus to look at additional sites.

“It’s not just about flowers. It could be we grow fruit and veg as well.

“It’s about being more creative with our planting schemes and reducing our reliance on supermarkets.”