This is one a a series of articles published in Longstanton Life between February 2016 and the present, showing just how often dire warnings were issued about the destruction of Longstanton’s groundwater, and just how often they were ignored by those whose duty it was to take timely action.
Hilary Stroude wrote:
An Update:
Since the publication of our article on the sorry state of the Kingfisher Pond in the Longstanton Life Feb/ Mar, Vol.18. No.1, it is clear to see that despite ‘normalised’ rainfall levels and considerable rainfall in the last two months the Kingfisher pond has not recovered sufficiently to have made a viable recovery. With the amount of rainfall that we have had, this pond should look similar to the image I took in April 2014 of my dog swimming in the pond. My 2014 photo was taken before the developers started work out on what was the golf course. It is clear from these latest photos (dated 18 March, 2018) that the Kingfisher pond is no longer a sustainable habitat nor is it an asset for Phase 1 of Northstowe. The water level over much of the pond is insufficient to cover the scrub that is taking over the floor of the pond and the depth of water is simply not of sufficient depth to be retained as we move into the summer months.
It was a requirement of the planning permission that this pond should be protected and maintained and it is now time for this to be enforced. There can no longer be any excuses! We were given an assurance in January 2018 that enforcement action would be taken if the pond was not FULLY NORMALISED by the end of April. We look forward to our 2 newly elected District Councillors (whoever they may be) honouring this position and taking action to ensure that SCDC officers implement enforcement action against the developers as we have been promised.
Statement from SCDC Cllr Simon Edwards, January 2018
“I do not think we can address the cause until we give the developers the time they have asked for, for groundwater levels to recover to normality. So come April, (which after all, is not that far away) we then will have the data, and therefore evidence, to take enforcement action. Assuming the pond has not recovered by then of course. Even then, if it has, I would want to see some continual monitoring of groundwater levels to make sure it doesn’t then dry out over summer. If it hasn’t recovered though, I will lend all support I can to ensuring the developers treat the root cause in order to restore the pond to its pre-development condition.”
The April deadline was confirmed publicly by both the developers and SCDC officers at the Northstowe Community Forum held in January 2018; hence the time-scale mentioned by Cllr Edwards above.
My verdict on the question raised by the title of this and the previous article has to be ECO-DISASTER! Northstowe Phase 1 appears to have inflicted a level of environmental damage on Longstanton village and our natural ponds and wells that we could never have envisaged when this ‘exemplar’ eco-town was first proposed. Longstanton residents were given no choice in the decision that our rural village should be swallowed up by a new town but it was reasonable for us to assume that our heritage assets, including our ponds and wells, should not be destroyed in the process. Many thanks for all the words and emails of support following my last article on this subject. Sadly, I had hoped this update would have contained some better news.
(Apologies for the poor quality of the photographs, which had to be recovered from old copies of Longstanton Life.)