Agenda item

Report of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place)

To consider a petition bearing 222 signatures, which has been submitted by Councillor Kelly, a Sherbourne Ward Councillor, who has been invited to the meeting for the consideration of this item along with the petition organiser.

The Cabinet Member considered a report of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place), which responded to a petition regarding the condition of the pond / boating lake at Naul’s Mill Park.

A petition bearing 222 signatures had been submitted by Councillor Kelly, a Sherbourne Ward Councillor, who attended the meeting along with Ms O’Hagan, the petition organiser.  The petitioners were concerned about the condition of the pond in Naul’s Mill Park, which had been left empty for 4 summers, and requested that the Council take immediate steps to enable the pond to be filled on a temporary basis and undertake to work with other organisations and the community to obtain funding to redevelop the pond in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner.

The report indicated that in 1898 the Corporation had acquired the land and in the late 1900’s the area was landscaped and opened as a public park in1909.  The park currently contained a range of features including amenity grassland, a good canopy of trees of various ages, shrub beds, flower beds and a children’s play area.  In addition a distinctive feature was the large Edwardian model boating lake at the parks’ southern end.  The lake was roughly 3,000 square metres in area, measuring 100m long and 40m wide, varying in depth from 0.6m to 1.2m.  The lake was fed by a stream which normally ran through the park in a culvert, but could be diverted to fill the pond.

Although originally left full throughout the year, over the past 10 years, the lake had been filled in March and drained at the end of November.  This was to prevent people ice-skating or otherwise putting themselves at risk should the water freeze over during the winter.

The Cabinet Member noted that the lake was lined with concrete slabs with the joints between them sealed with a flexible bitumen jointing compound.  The bitumen had perished over time and caused the pool to leak.  In addition, the slabs have become unstable and cracked.  By 2012, the lake had begun to lose water to such an extent that the stream needed to be permanently diverted to keep the lake full.  In 2012/13 the lake was drained and not refilled due to concerns with the effects that the leaking water may be having downstream / below ground.  However, during 2017, the lake was refilled to assess the extent of the leaks. 

The Cabinet Member was advised that there was also an issue with blanketweed when the lake was filled, which used to be controlled with chemicals.  However, with the constant throughput of water and the leak previously mentioned, any algaecides would be diluted and become ineffective and there were also concerns in relation to the environment to be considered.

The report set out 8 various options which varied from restoring the lake to its original condition to doing nothing.  It was reported that there were no existing funds for any of the options identified although Section 106 funds associated with a housing development on a neighbouring site may become available at some point.  Funding could however be obtained from grants such as WREN, BIFFA or Veolia.  In addition, organisations such as the Heritage Lottery Fund or Esmee Fairburn Trust may offer grants to fund its repair / restoration.

It was acknowledged that future options for the pool should be explored and it was recommended that consultation be undertaken with the Friends of Naul’s Mill Park, Ward councillors, users of the park and local residents to identify a preferred option and to enable project costs to be calculated.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet Member for Public Health and Sport:-

1.  Approve that consultation is held with the Friends of Naul’s Mill Park, Ward councillors, users of Naul’s Mill Park and local residents to identify what is the preferred future of the pool.

2.  Approve that following the consultation exercise, a project be worked up that reflects the results and includes the cost for the preferred option, with this then being the subject of a further Cabinet Member report.

3.  Note that the lake is currently being filled.