Have you visited the Three Books Lake recently? It is in a sorry state and the council does not appear to be in any hurry to do anything about it. More and more of the silt is building up and turning into a solid state i.e. land in which grass etc. can take root.
Where there is water, it is only 3 to 4 inches deep! The residents of Bradley Stoke stand to lose a valuable recreation facility and wildlife sanctuary, unless something is done.
The streams feeding the lake will also back up, as the water will have nowhere to go – we saw signs of this last winter.
It was interesting to read in October’s Journal magazine of the possibility of a company that can utilise the silt, thereby potentially offsetting some of the costs of dredging. That would be an excellent result. However, when you put the estimated costs of £100,000 in the context that some individuals employed by South Gloucestershire Council, at our expense, are paid that sum as an annual salary, and some twice that amount, I think the wishes of the residents of Bradley Stoke deserve some very serious consideration.
Fred Hillberg
Bradley Stoke
This letter originally appeared in the November 2018 issue of the Bradley Stoke Journal magazine (on page 33). The magazine is delivered FREE, EVERY MONTH (except August), to ALL 8,700 homes in Bradley Stoke. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.
Statement from South Gloucestershire Council
A South Gloucestershire Council spokesperson said:
“We are still in the investigation stage of the project to de-silt the Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve lake. The silt in the lake was tested for contamination and results have confirmed it is safe to dispose of it on site. We plan to use the same area as we did in 2005, when the lake was last de-silted, which has been cleared and is being further assessed.”
“A contractor has been selected and we are awaiting their estimate and method statement before we then commission an ecological management plan and apply to the Environment Agency for consent to carry out the works.
“We are aware that the lake is heavily silted up. There are protected species in the area (otters and water voles), so we will be restricted to operating at certain times of the year and have no timescales in place at the moment.”
“We are still in the process of identifying and securing funding for this project and, at the appropriate time, we will carry out a community engagement exercise, where we will notify local residents regarding any planned works and footpath diversions.”
