The Council appointed contractors to undertake essential, rather overdue tree maintenance at King’s Pond which is now underway and, while we are aware there is a significant amount to do, is being undertaken delicately to balance the public amenity with habitat protection and long-term ecosystem management.
We are delighted to be able to provide an update on the excellent work being done at King’s Pond and the care the contractors are taking with the wildlife there. They have identified many nests and been incredibly careful not only to leave them undisturbed and to leave their shelter in place, but also to ensure the birds have a clear path to them, and they have told us how much they are enjoying the company of the grebes that are following them around! It was a genuine pleasure to see so many birds having fun on the pond this morning.
There is still a fair amount of lapsed timber and dead wood to come out, the section of bamboo to remove, and some of the wood cut into logs is yet to be moved into the agreed locations as hibernacula.
We have observed that some people are ignoring the path closed signs and trying to walk along the closed sections. We kindly ask that you do respect these signs – they are there for your own safety while they carry out these works. The contractors are being very careful to ensure they only close one side at a time so that the area is still accessible to the public.
Please be aware that we have heard talk that they have cleared ground vegetation, but this is not the case. It is seasonal vegetation which dies back in the winter and will grow again in the spring / summer. There may be some grass disturbed next to paths where they have had to take vehicles, but this is unavoidable at this time of year, and they are being as careful as possible to keep the mud off the paths and repair the ground as they go. It will recover fully once the work is finished and the ground starts to dry out after all this rain.
We look forward to seeing these improvements when completed.