Lordship Rec Lake Project

Results of Public Survey, July 2009

THE PROJECT

The Friends of Lordship Rec, supported by BTCV, are planning to make improvements to the park’s lake and have put in a bid to Groundwork’s Big Lottery Fund for £11,500*. [*Final figure, including development costs, subject to agreement.] There is a large build-up of silt and mud in the north-east corner of the water, the silt is smelly, unsightly and affects the quality of water in the lake and the wildlife that inhabits it.  At the same time, the island edge is damaged and the island is being eroded.  The Friends aim to remove the silt from the lake and use it  to restore the island and create a shallow water area beside the island to increase wildlife habitat.

The work will take about three weeks in the winter, a time of year which allows for the minimum disturbance to wildlife. It includes

  • Undertaking an ecological survey
  • Removal of silt and mud from area
  • Restoration of the edges of the island using the silt and clay to stop further erosion
  • Planting of aquatic vegetation along the island’s edge and on floating pontoons to help improve the water quality
  • Management of the trees on the island to reduce leaf litter and increase light for smaller plants

THE SURVEY RESULTS

We wanted to know what park users and others think about these plans, so produced a 2-sided A4 Questionnaire which we took to the park, to local meetings and public events during July 2009.

115 forms were filled in (as set out below). The results were overwhelmingly in favour of the project, and are summarised below. The original filled-in forms (115) have been retained and are available for view on request.

How far do you live from Lordship Rec?
0-1 miles away 99 [86%]
2-3 miles away   7 [6%]
4-5 miles away   3 [3%]
5-10 miles away   1 [1%]
10 miles +   5 [4%]

Roughly how often do you visit the lake in Lordship Rec?
Every day             22 [19%]
Every few days 36 [31%]
Once a week       19 [17%]
Once a month       17 [15%]
Infrequently       20 [17%]
[ + one person said ‘Never’]  1  [1%]

Do you think the improvements to the lake would increase your enjoyment of the lake?
Yes                  110 [96%]
No
Maybe                     4 [3%]

Do you think the improvements would help enhance the wildlife of the lake?
Yes                  110 [96%]
No
Maybe                     5 [4%]

Do you think the improvements would make you visit the lake more often?
Yes                  101 [88%]
No                     2 [2%]
Maybe                   10 [9%]

Any other comments to pass to the Big Lottery Fund and/or the Friends of Lordship Rec?

*** Note:  62 COMMENTS WRITTEN – many substantial, and including thoughts about
the park in general. See samples on separate sheet (to follow).

I’d like to receive general email updates from the Friends of Lordship Rec:

*** Note:  26 people signed up to join the Friends