Remediation starts to clear contamination at St Michael's golf course in Dundalk Road (From Runcorn and Widnes World)

Remediation starts to clear contamination at St Michael's golf course in Dundalk Road

8:20am Sunday 29th November 2009

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A GOLF course closed due to contamination is set to swing back into action, thanks to a £2.47 million Government grant.

Long-awaited remediation work on St Michael’s municipal course in Dundalk Road, Widnes, started this week after a groundbreaking ceremony.

Clr Rob Polhill, board member for regeneration, said: “This is great news.

“We can now make real progress in bringing the land back into use.

“Thanks to council officers’ efforts, the Environment Agency and Halton MP Derek Twigg, Defra has recognised what an important and worthwhile project this is.”

Designs for greens, tees, fairways and a new clubhouse are now being drawn up.

The course, a former rubbish tip, was closed in 2005 after the discovery of arsenic.

Government money is now being used by the council to solve the long-standing contamination problems.

Remediation work will involve creating a new channel for Steward’s Brook, a watercourse which crossed the course.

A new system will be installed to collect the polluted water which comes from old chemical waste which lies underneath the ground.

The creation of a new channel for the brook will also provide an opportunity to make improvements to the ecology along the watercourse.

The course will then be newly surfaced.

Remediation is scheduled to take two years.

Halton Council has pledged to consult with the local community over the design of the new course, due to re-open in 2013, once new grass and landscaping has been re-established.

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