EXPERT ADVICE |
Once you have settled on a site, you will need to run your plans past the local planning authority. It may advise you to consult other parties: for example, you need to notify your neighbour and the Environment Agency if the pond is likely to affect drainage quantity and pathways, and you should do an underground service search so you don’t rupture a gas pipeline or sewer. Autumn is a good time of year for construction as machinery access is a key consideration and you are less likely to harm or disturb wildlife breeding habitats. A pond created in autumn can also fill up with rain over winter.
Peg out the perimeter, aiming for an irregular outline to maximise the marginal area. Have a plan ready for dealing with the topsoil on site: as it’s nutrient-rich, don’t store it nearby or create an embankment around the pond. If you construct near an arable field after harvest, spread it thinly on the field and incorporate at the next cultivation for a yield boost.
Top tips to maximise wildlife
Create rockeries or log piles around the pond to act as refuge for amphibians, in- sects, small mammals and reptiles.
Create a variety of depths as many species need shallow water habitat, while deeper areas provide refuge in hot weather. As a guide, the margins should slope gently, to a maximum depth of 1.5m and dig a few shelves and pools for added habitat diversity.
Install a platform with a fl oating ramp in the middle to attract wildfowl. Don’t put in tonnes of grain or release birds, as this will spoil the habitat for other wildlife.
Plant a small shrub such as hawthorn on one margin (not south) to provide shade and leaf litter.
Limit livestock access – a little poaching is good, but too much will ruin marginal habitat and decrease water quality.
More information
The drainage properties of the soil will determine whether you need to create an impermeable catchment with a plastic liner or puddled clay. Depending on the catchment area and size of the pond, it should fill reasonably quickly in winter, but you may need to artificially fill it in a spell of unusually dry weather to stop the base cracking and leaking.
Further details and guidance are available in the Freshwater Habitats Trust Pond Creation Tool Kit, avail- able at
www.freshwaterhabitats.org.uk or contact the Advisory Service for guidance on biodiversity and game- related queries
advisory@gwct.org.uk. The Freshwater Habitats Trust has a list of organisations which may award grants for pond creation if it’s related to a shoot or provides a community benefi t.
The new Countryside Stewardship scheme includes an option for pond creation or restoration (WN5/WN6).
www.gwct.org.uk/advisory
Avoid introducing fi sh – they will eat amphibian eggs and can make the water turbid.
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