Farming in Protected Landscapes
Nayland Meadow Pond Restoration
For Year 5 of the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme, £22,106 was granted to the charity Nayland Meadow Limited.
This project restored the biodiversity and amenity value of an existing pond on land owned and managed by Nayland Meadow Limited.
The pond was originally constructed by the Environment Agency in 2005. Since then it had gradually become silted up and remedial work is required to remove this accumulated silt and to remove some of the marginal vegetation to restore open water habitat.
The overall aim of the project was to restore and enhance the biodiversity value of the site and maintain its amenity value for members of the public using the adjacent footpath (part of the Stour Valley Path).
Pond restoration will also create conditions suitable for a separate access project which will enable visitors to get a closer look at the pond and its wildlife. Before work begun in October 2025, reeds had encroached into the water to a depth of 13 metres in places.
What did the work involve?
The pond is approximately 60m by 60m in size, and pond restoration involved removal of accumulated silt to restore water depth to the original design depth. In addition the width of the encroaching marginal vegetation was reduced, whilst maintaining sufficient habitat to support water voles, breeding birds and other wildlife.
A Protected Species Licence was required for this to ensure that the habitat for water voles will be impacted as little as possible. The pond is in direct hydrological connectivity with the River Stour via two 60cm diameter culverts. Silt removal and vegetation management will increase the backwater habitat available for fish, as well as restoring the ability of fish to move freely between the river and pond.
The key steps were as follows:
- Fish removed from the pond (by the Environment Agency)
- Temporary isolation of the pond from the river Stour to allow drain down of pond. The clean water only was pumped into the river, the silty water twas pumped on to the adjoining meadow
- The contractor then desilted the pond and deposited it next to the pond under waste exemption WEX473635. Wild flower seeds have been planted onto the silted area and will begin to flower in spring 2027
- Water levels between the pond and river were allowed to gradually rebalance through the existing culvert connection
What will be the benefits to wildlife and people from the project?
A net increase in biodiversity by providing ideal conditions for water vole, breeding water birds, aquatic invertebrates and fish. The pond lies immediately adjacent to the Stour Valley Path, and users of the footpath will be able to benefit from the improved habitat in the pond.
In a separate but related initiative, the charity is proposing to construct a short length of boardwalk and a viewing platform along the west edge of the pond which will be accessible to footpath users. The pond restoration project will help optimise the value and utility of the viewing platform.
