The lake, which regularly floods due to its current condition, is in acute need of desilting and has been the subject of public concern over the impact on wildlife and loss of public amenity.
In summer, low water flow exposes large areas of silt, making wildfowl nesting on the islands vulnerable to predators including foxes and cats.
The scheme, which requires the removal of up to 4,000 cubic metres of silt and restoring the lake environment to the original landscape plans, including a 300m ‘stone to dust’ footpath, will enhance the wetland area for the community, improve resistance to flooding and enhance local biodiversity.
The desilting activity must take place between November and February to minimise the impact on protected species, including water voles and otters.
A budget of £250,000 for the project was allocated in early 2020, with work originally planned to start in November 2020. However, this was subsequently postponed due to delays resulting from the coronavirus pandemic.
An area for dumping the removed silt, located a few hundred metres north of the lake, behind Bradley Stoke Community School, has already been prepared.
Council workers have recently cut back some of the grassy pathways in the nature reserve and will be doing additional preparation work near the Tump before the desilting begins.
Work at the lake
Announcing the decision to commence work at the lake itself, a council spokesperson said:
“We have appointed an experienced contractor to carry out the desilting work in early November, and they are currently in the process of securing permits with the Environment Agency.”
“We plan to reuse [some of] the removed silt on site to profile some of the edges of the islands and lake, and to enhance existing habitats. This reduces the cost of the work as well as ensuring a sustainable option for the removed silt, i.e. no transportation off site is required.
“Around a third of the silt will be removed from the lake, which is the maximum that can be reused on site under current regulations.”
“It is likely the lake will need to be desilted again in around 10 years and we are working with the Environment Agency to explore natural flood management to slow the flow of water into the catchment area and reduce the amount of silt entering the lake system.”
“A new 300m long and 3m wide path will also be created to establish an accessible pathway for visitors to get closer to the lake and its nature.”
“In addition, BART (Bristol Avon Rivers Trust) are carrying out natural flood management works in October in the Stoke Brook with the aim to slow the flow of the brook, which will result in the reducing the amount of silt entering the pond. This will help prolong the period before the lake will require desilting again.”
The spokesperson added that it is hoped to finish the desilting work “before Christmas”.
Work on the improvements to the path around the lake, along with cutting back weeds and undergrowth between the stone bridge off Juniper Way and the bridge at the lake, is scheduled to take place in spring 2022, after the desilting work has been completed.
Vehicle movements
There will be trucks and vehicles using the Braydon Gate (Brook Way) access to get to the secure compound required for the contractor to start work. There will then be daily movements of trucks going between the lake and where the silt will be deposited near the community orchard.
The machinery, excavators and dumpers, including a floating excavator (amphibious excavator) will all run from hydrotreated vegetable oil instead of diesel, and this has over 90 percent lower CO2 emissions.
Access restrictions
The north and western areas of the reserve will remain open, but the middle section will be restricted during the week, while the work is taking place. However, the route to the Tump summit will be open during weekends (Saturday morning to Sunday evening) to enable people to enjoy the site.
There will be way markers erected around the reserve, so people know which routes to follow safely. A map will also be drawn up shortly to explain the access in more detail so everyone can continue to enjoy the reserve.
Bradley Stoke Community School has additionally been notified as there will be a small diversion for anyone using the reserve to get to and from school.
This article originally appeared in the October 2021 issue of the Bradley Stoke Journal magazine (on pages 20 & 21). The magazine is delivered FREE, nine times a year, to ALL 8,700 homes in Bradley Stoke. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.
Footpath closure in detail
UPDATE added 23rd October 2021.
The above map is taken from this post on the South Gloucestershire Council StreetCare Facebook page, where it can be viewed at a higher resolution: https://bit.ly/3b6N5HI
In brief, the path around the north edge of the lake will be closed full-time, while the path heading north from the lake (towards Savages Wood) will be closed during the week but open at weekends.
Map legend
- Red: Path closure (1,190m)
- Orange: Diversion route (1,810m)
Please note:
- Path between A and B will only be accessible at weekends
- Path between B and C will remain closed for health and safety reasons
- B and D will remain closed for health and safety reasons
- Community Orchard will be accessible at all times
Map caption
Public access to the Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve will be limited while desilting work takes place (due to start 1st November 2021). The routes from B to C and B to D [not via E] are permanently closed during these works, while route A to E [via B] will be closed Monday to Friday, meaning no access to the Tump, but will be open for people to enjoy walking or cycling through the reserve at weekends.
Duration of closure
The Traffic Regulation Order enabling the closure of the footpaths and cycle ways states that the duration of closure will be “for a period of up to 21 days from 1st November 2021”.
Alternative map
The map below, created by the Journal, shows the footpaths that are to be closed.
Click the icon in the top right corner to view full screen.
Legend:
- Red: Closed 24/7 for the duration of the works
- Orange: Closed Monday to Friday only
Town councillor’s comments
UPDATE added 1st November 2021.
From the minutes of the meeting of Bradley Stoke Town Council’s Finance Committee held on 20th October 2021:
The Chair of the Committee, Councillor Tom Aditya raised concerns regarding the forthcoming desilting work due to take place on the Three Brooks Nature Reserve Lake and the fact that only 1/3 of the lake is being desilted. He said he along with others attended the recent site visit by South Glos Council officers and the contractor at the lake and he felt disheartened at the way it is now carried out. He enquired what was the tender formalities and criteria by the South Glos Council for the above-mentioned desilting. Wasn’t it for full desilting or not? This is an amenity lake and as such, there should be a long-term maintenance plan for it. He requested a letter from the Town Council to the SGC Chief Executive, the Council Leader and all those are connected with this issue. The Town Clerk is going to draft a letter to SGC to raise councillors concerns and to ask for details of the management plan for the lake.
Contractors arrive
UPDATE added 1st November 2021.
Contractors from the firm Land & Water have arrived on site this morning.
The publicised footpath closures were not yet in place when the Journal’s editor visited at 1pm.
Site compound being set up
UPDATE added 3rd November 2021.
Heavy plant has been brought in and the site compound is being set up.
The footpath along the northern edge of the lake is now closed.
The footpath leading north from the lake (up to the community orchard and Savages Wood) remains open. Fencing panels have been transported up to a location near the community orchard, but workers say the footpath won’t actually be closed until next Monday (8th November) – this is yet to be confirmed by South Gloucestershire Council.
A council update published today on Facebook states:
“Our contractors Land and Water Services have this week started preparing the site, near the orchard, where they will deposit the silt. They are awaiting delivery of more machinery, including a amphibious floating digger that can work in higher water levels and a long reach excavator so the desilting can begin next week.”
Amphibious excavator arrives
UPDATE added 9th November 2021.
The amphibious excavator arrived on site today.
The footpath leading north from the lake (up to the community orchard and Savages Wood) was seen to be closed at 2pm today (Tuesday).
Update from South Gloucestershire Council at 3.57pm today (Tuesday):
“The main path between the lake and Community Orchard is now closed ready for the desilting to take place, but it will be accessible at weekends. Way markers are in place on the reserve to keep people informed. The track may be muddy in places so please take care. South Gloucestershire StreetCare apologies for any inconvenience while these closures are in place.”
New post: £250,000 lake desilting project gets under way (The Journal)
Dredging work completed
UPDATE added 28th November 2021.
Dredging work at Three Brooks Lake is now complete. However, the footpath running north from the lake up to the community orchard will be closed again from Monday morning (29th November) through to Friday (3rd December) so that the site compound can be dismantled and the heavy plant removed. The footpath around the north side of the lake will also remain closed until Friday.
