Singleton Lake & Buxford Meadow

Community-based management partnership

Current Issues and Challenges

Singleton Lake – a popular amenity for the local community

BUT

• Current owners (KCC) - not proactively engaged with site

• Lack of ‘ownership’ by the local council or local community & minimal oversight

• No structured plan or coordinated strategy for managing the site

Contributing to

• Poor maintenance

• Seasonal flooding

• Littering

• Anti-social behaviour

• Etc. etc.

New management proposals

Partners agreed to:-

• Provide inputs & suggestions towards development of a Management Plan

• Identify roles & responsibilities of each partner in managing the

site

2014 Stakeholders agree management proposals & set up

Singleton Lake Steering Group

Role & Structure of Steering Group

Coordinate roles & responsibilities of partners under Management Plan

Work through detail of site management issues

Identify other partners to support & fund management plan

Identify barriers, gaps & needs for future operation / community engagement

Consider how to improve current service provision / ways of working together

Monitor & review (annually) the implementation of Management Plan

Members

Ashford Borough Council (ABC) Great Chart with Singleton Parish Council Ashford Angling Society (AAS) Kentish Stour Countryside Partnership (KSCP) Environment Agency (EA) Local community representatives

Chaired by ABC

Secretary – Parish Council

Compartment 1 – Singleton Lake

Main recreational & amenity area

• Pedestrian & cycle paths • Boardwalk • Seating • Fishing platforms • Bridges

Currently managed by different agencies

• ABC - footpaths, litter & dog bins • KCC – cycle paths, street lighting • AAS – fish swims, bank & vegetation • Environment Agency

“The area will continue to be managed primarily for public

recreation and leisure (including angling), but with attention also

given to wildlife & good ecological management”

Compartment 2 – Buxford Meadow

• A mosaic of floodplain meadow,

woodland and scrub with areas of chalk river and standing fresh water – probably the most important site for nature conservation in the Ashford Green Corridor

• Currently owned by ABC – but managed by ABC a ‘minimal’ basis

• Management Plan produced by KSCP already exists – but uncertainties over ownership & lack of funding has limited implementation

Buxford Meadow will be managed primarily for nature conservation and public access,

possibly with the ambition of moving towards formal designation as a Local

Nature Reserve (LNR)

Compartment 3 – Meadow & car park

Car park – currently owned by KCC – but minimally managed by ABC

Long term management & maintenance regime required – to make the car park worthy of the

vision for Singleton Lake

‘It is proposed that the northern meadow continues to be managed

primarily for informal recreation a& leisure, but possibly with areas of flower meadow and/or areas set6

aside for nature conservation (including possibly ‘scrapes’)’

Issues & Challenges Common issues/challenges to be

addressed by the Management Plan Funding

Perhaps the biggest challenge to achieving all the aims &

objectives of the Management Plan

• Some routine management tasks will continue to be funded under existing arrangements (i.e. ABC, KCC, EA, AAS)

• BUT – additional funding will be required to implement all elements of the plan

• Need to balance public access & enjoyment with protection of existing & potential wildlife habitats

• Anti-social behaviour, including vandalism, littering, killing of wildlife;

• Poor coordination between different agencies & organisations involved in managing the site (i.e. ABC, KCC, AAS)

Each management partner has also identified specific issues &

challenges relating to their area of expertise and/or responsibility

Role of Ashford Borough Council Role of ABC

Overall responsibility for a range of management roles & functions

throughout the 3 compartments

Management Objectives

• To manage the whole site as a good quality public amenity that is accessible to all

• To strike a balance between

providing recreational and leisure opportunities for the public and good ecological management;

• To provide a safe and healthy environment for the public

Management tasks

• Manage & monitor emptying of litter & dog bins

• Inspect & maintain safety belts around lake

• Maintain footpaths, access ways & parking areas & other infrastructure (i.e. seating, signage etc.)

• Ensure path & walkways around kept clear of vegetation – maintaining a 1 metre strip on either side

• Implement tree inspection regime to ensure public safety in relevant areas

• Check culverts & keep all lake inlets / outlets clear of debris

• Engage relevant partners to undertake agreed management task

Role of KSCP

Specific roles & responsibilities within all 3

compartments

&

Generally - provide advice & guidance for good

ecological management of lakeside edges & river

banks

Management Objectives

All compartments

Create, protect & improve the quality of wildlife

habitat taking into account & advising on

appropriate public access

Role of KSCP Compartment A

Advise or assist in the creation, protection & maintenance of the following habitat areas:- woodland, meadow grass areas, patches of scrub, ordinary watercourse (ditch), River Great Stour & banks & (in liaison with Ashford Angling Society) Singleton Lake and lake banks.

KSCP – Management Objectives (cont.)

Compartment B

• Advise or assist in the management of the meadow, pond, areas of scrub, woodland & River Great Stour and mill leat (including riparian & emergent vegetation);

• Improve public access in wet conditions in wet woodland area;

• Formalise channel to provide fish passage around Buxford Mill Weir, using informal channel & mill leat.

Compartment C

Advise or assist in the creation and management of this large area of improved grassland.

(KSCP) - Management prescriptions / tasks

Open up & clear ordinary watercourse (ditch) – to reinstate flow of water &

open up area to more light whilst maintaining some screening for houses and limiting localised flooding

Compartment A

KSCP - Open up & clear ordinary watercourse (ditch) – before & after Feb 2015

(KSCP) - Management prescriptions / tasks

• Community engagement to

address littering & dumping of garden waste.

• Woodland scrub – limited

management for access purposes & maintenance of grassland & public areas;

• River work to improve flow &

depth dynamics in wide & shallow areas*

• Rotational cutting of river bank for

plant diversity & public access/viewing (advise & possibly assist)*

• Meadow cutting regime to ensure

good plant diversity of wetland meadow areas (advise & possibly assist)*

• Lake island (with AAS) – survey & recommend management for trees & banks to improve conditions for wildfowl & other wildlife (i.e. bats) (advise & possibly assist)*

• Lake banks – improve bankside vegetation & erosion where necessary (advise & possibly assist)*

Compartment A - continued

(KSCP) - Management prescriptions / tasks

• Provide fish passage in channel from River Great Stour to Mill leat (KSCP currently seeking funding);

• Mill leat banks - advise or assist in

maintaining a rotation cutting regime to increase plant diversity & access;

• River Great Stour – advise and assist on work to ensure good bank & emergent vegetation - & maintenance of pollards & trees close to river

• Buxford Dyke (with IDB) – advise & assist on work to maintain good water flow & habitat conditions;

• Rotational coppicing of wet

woodland in small areas to provide greater biodiversity – open ‘glade’ areas for a range of plant & animal species; Access improvement through wet woodland;

• Meadow & scrub management to

maintain plant diversity; • Only limited pond management

(due to virulent invasive species)

• Compartment B

Views of Buxford Meadow

(KSCP) - Management prescriptions / tasks

• Propose & potentially carry out habitat creation & improvements for the community to this large area of grassland (may include wildflower meadows, trees, gym equipment, etc.

• Installation of new interpretation panels etc.;

• Community activities to engage with the site (i.e. summer club – possibly in cooperation with other organisations such as ‘Sure Start’)

Compartment C (meadow only)

Additional projects / aspirations

Ashford Angling Society

• Manage & maintain in good order Singleton Lake, fish swims, the bank & vegetation, fish stock, inlet & outlet flow, as well as ‘timber fishing platforms & notices erected within the lake

• Provide a Bailiff Service

Management Objectives

Manage Singleton Lake as a quality angling venue for the benefit of the

local community

To provide a bailiff service for the efficient management of the lake

Role of AAS

Ashford Angling Society

Management prescriptions / tasks

• Ensure regular supervision of lake & fishermen by the Bailiffs, & collect any litter around the immediate vicinity of the banks;

• Check anglers are in membership

of the Society & provide for & supervise a maximum number of 42 anglers on lake at any one time & ensure only paid-up members and/or day ticket holders are able to fish the water;

• Seek to increase the numbers of bailiffs;

• Complete remaining fishing platforms to the new accepted safe design, including repairs to those needing attention – this will attract more anglers & use of the lake by others;

• Improve management of the

islands by reducing vegetation growing into the lake & by removing all lost tackle & line (subject to having access to a boat);

• Improve habitats for water fowl.

Work with other groups to achieve their targets to ensure that Singleton Lake is managed effectively for the benefit of all

members of the local community and by eliminating (or at least

reducing) anti-social behaviour.

Unauthorised night fishing

AAS against introduction of night fishing for several reasons: difficult to police; possible increase in anti-social

behaviour increased littering and toilet

waste; noise and disturbance for local

residents.

Ashford Angling Society Additional projects / aspirations

Environment Agency (EA) - Roles & responsibilities

• ‘Permissive powers’ to maintain designated ‘main’ rivers for flood risk management purposes (i.e. River Great Stour between A28 bridge via Buxford Mill to Brookfield Road Bridge)

• EA consent required for any

works in, over, under or on the banks of a designated main river, to a distance of 8 metres from the top of bank

• Environment Agency also

owns two operational structures: – Buxford Mill spillway –

disused – Chart Leacon gauging station

(used for monitoring river levels and flow)

• Statutory duty under Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975 SAFFA) to maintain, improve & develop salmon, trout, freshwater fish & eel fisheries.

SAFFA sets out offences covering:-

– Illegal fishing gear & methods; – which fish it is illegal to take; – fish passes & screens; – unlicensed fishing & stocking fish

• Range of powers to help detect & take

action against these offences, including powers of entry onto land & powers of arrest

• EA is the competent authority for delivering the Water Framework Directive (WFD) in England. Singleton and Buxford Meadows area is contained in the Upper Stour water body and is currently at Poor ecological status.

Environment Agency (EA) – Management Objectives

• Exercise the EA’s permissive powers to maintain the ‘main’ river stretch of the River Great Stour, for flood risk management purposes, subject to meeting the risk-based approach, and funding being available;

• Maintain EA assets in a safe

condition & ensure their efficacy;

• Advise the Singleton Lake

operating authority on its performance as a flood risk management asset;

• Maintain, improve & develop salmon, trout, freshwater fish & eel fisheries, including enforcement;

• Improve the passage of fish along

the river; • Respond to pollution incidents

that degrade water quality; • Work with others to improve the

status of the River Great Stour to Good by 2027;

• Provide a safe & healthy

environment for the public and wildlife.

• Annual in-channel weed-cut along the main river length of the river- but not removal of arisings off-site;

• Ad-hoc pioneering work along the

main river length (could include removal of obstructions (i.e. branches - that increase flood risk;

EA - Management prescriptions / tasks

• Regular maintenance of Chart Leacon gauging station to include cleaning the weir, removal of debris, frequent weed-cutting within the channel immediately upstream & downstream of the weir;

• Inspection and routine

maintenance of Environment Agency assets

EA - Management prescriptions / tasks

• Removal of localised silt on riverward side of inlets & outlets between Singleton Lake & Great Stour as required to maintain operation - but clearance of debris & maintenance of these structures is NOT an EA responsibility;

• Occasional Salmon &

Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975 (SAFFA) inspections to enforce against unlicensed fishing;

• Responding to pollution

incidents that impact on water quality;

Engage with partners on the

Singleton Lake Steering Group

Environment Agency - Additional projects / aspirations

Improvement to fish passage to enable unobstructed access for fish past the weir at Buxford, utilising the existing natural channel through the alder carr;

Improvements to flow conditions to reduce silt build-up and maintain clean gravels by installing flow deflectors, woody debris and channel narrowing; Control of non-native invasive species;

Maintain the branch of the Great Stour that runs through Buxford Meadows to main river standards – subject to agreement.

In addition to the management

prescriptions / tasks identified above, the EA

will endeavour to undertake additional

projects as part of collaborative working

arrangements with others on the site,

subject to finances / resources being

available:

Great Chart with Singleton Parish Council

Role of the Parish Council

• Represent residents in the two Wards in which the Lake & Buxford Meadow are situated;

• Play a proactive role by seeking improvement in the local services and amenities available, including an aspiration towards quality maintenance of public open space

Management Objectives

• Although the Parish Council does not have formal ownership or management responsibility for the area covered in the Management Plan, it will seek to identify and mobilise funding opportunities to support the objectives of the Management Plan.

• It will also act as the eyes & ears of the community - which in the context of the Management Plan might include (for example) ad hoc issues such as non-functioning street lights & casual monitoring of routine activities such as footpath maintenance & litter picking

Management prescriptions /

tasks

Act as a communication channel between various user groups and other partners.

Facilitate the ‘consultation group’ & Steering Group with a meeting venue & minute-taking

Great Chart with Singleton Parish Council

Funding Issues

Some of the tasks specified in this Management Plan will be

undertaken by the different partners under existing funding

arrangements.

• KCC - maintain existing cycle paths and lighting

• ABC will continue to undertake certain roles as specified

• Environment Agency will continue to carry out many statutory duties with respect to river maintenance etc

• Ashford Angling Society will continue to carry out its obligations under the terms of the licence issued by ABC.

Additional Management Prescriptions & tasks as yet

unfunded

A major challenge in implementing this

Management Plan in full will therefore be to identify

additional sources of funding, including grant funding

Refer to “Annex: Summary of Management Tasks & Funding

Status – by Compartment”

Next Steps?

• What is the future role for the Steering Group?

• How to engage with and facilitate the participation of the local community?

• Is there potential for setting up a local volunteer group to assist in implementing the management plan?

• Is there scope for accessing grant funding for specific projects?

• Are there any other issues and/or concerns that have not been covered?

Next Steps?

• What is the future role for the Steering Group?

• How to engage with and facilitate the participation of the local community?

• Is there potential for setting up a local volunteer group to assist in implementing the management plan?

• Is there scope for accessing grant funding for specific projects?

• Are there any other issues and/or concerns that have not been covered?