Another episode of flooding in Bradley Stoke’s Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve, on the morning of Friday 11th October, saw paths covered in several feet of water, making them impassable for children walking to school and commuters using the Concorde Way cycling route.

The incident has brought renewed calls for South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) to expedite dredging of the Three Brooks Lake (a.k.a The Duck Pond) to remove the high levels of silt that have accumulated since the task was last carried
out in 2005.

In a response reported in our November 2018 magazine, SGC said it was “still in the investigation stage of the [de-silting] project” and was “awaiting an estimate and method statement” from its selected contractor. It added that it was “still in the process of identifying and securing funding”.

The current town mayor Tom Aditya identified the issue as a priority when he took office in May and the town council subsequently wrote to SGC asking it to “investigate the desilting of the lake at the as a matter of urgency”.

The town council’s letter added: “It has been observed that one day the lake can be flooded and then a couple of days later there is significant amounts of mud exposed with the water levels very low. This would indicate that the lake is not doing what it was designed for i.e. an attenuation pond. The flooding, in turn, causes damage to the paths surrounding the lake.”

However, a response received from SGC’s chief executive officer insists that “the lake is not an attenuation pond, it is an amenity lake”, referring to details in the consent granted by the National Rivers Authority in 1993 ahead of the creation of the water feature.

More: SGC "still exploring the options for funding the work" »

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A project to improve access to the Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve in Bradley Stoke has been given a boost, thanks to a grant of £25,000 from Enovert Community Trust.

Three Brooks is a popular nature reserve covering 60 hectares of tranquil woodland and meadows and lies at the heart of the town of Bradley Stoke. Some of the woodland dates back over 400 years, with a rich mix of habitats that provide valuable food and shelter to a wide range of wildlife, including great crested newts and slow worms.

The project will see more than 500m of woodland paths upgraded at the northern end of the reserve in Savages Wood, to improve accessibility. An environmentally friendly, no-dig cell web system will be used for the paths to protect surrounding tree roots.

Robin Jones, chair of The Three Brooks Nature Conservation Group which is delivering the project, said:

“In recent years the popularity of the site has been causing issues, especially in winter when the main unsurfaced paths have become water logged and unusable.”

“The project to resurface the woodland footpath network will greatly improve accessibility for visitors, while helping to protect ground flora and tree roots from trampling. We hope the upgraded paths will enable more people to use the area, which will lead to a greater understanding and appreciation of the natural environment.”

More: Reserve provides vital access to the natural environment »

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A chance encounter between Susan Hartry of the Stokes Art Group (SAG) and Sara Messenger of the Three Brooks Nature Conservation Group (TBNCG) last spring sparked an idea for an art project. Sara explained that just as the River Severn has Sabrina Goddess of the River, the Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve has a God called Trolletheus – named after two rusted and battered supermarket trolleys she and the TBNCG Team had dredged from the lake some time earlier. Susan picked up on this and suggested giving Trolletheus a face as a SAG project competition later in the year. Sara liked the idea and even agreed to judge it with adoption papers at the ready!

Both passionate about their respective groups, they soon realised they greatly complimented each other. After all, conservationists maintain our landscape and for centuries artists have enjoyed painting it!

The competition brief was split into two categories – one to create an image for Trolletheus and the second to create a landscape from any scene or feature from the reserve. The resulting unsigned collection was displayed at the Stokes Art Group end of year awards event, where Sara and fellow conservationist Ceri selected their favourite artwork from each category. Sara was thrilled that finally Trolletheus had a ‘face’ – though the look of surprise on her own face when she announced the artist was Susan Hartry was also worthy of a prize! Inspired by features of the reserve itself Susan’s Trolletheus, armoured with two supermarket trolleys, is based on the Turkey Oaks of Sherbourne’s Brake.

The winning landscape by Stokes Artist Sue Kelly, taken from her own photograph, represents a typical Three Brooks woodland scene familiar to those who go off the beaten track and enjoy the diverse variety of trees, plants, wildflowers and undergrowth found right on our doorstep.

The full collection can be viewed on the 2018 Project page of the SAG website.

More: How to book a free taster session with SAG »

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Have you visited the Three Books Lake recently? It is in a sorry state and the council does not appear to be in any hurry to do anything about it. More and more of the silt is building up and turning into a solid state i.e. land in which grass etc. can take root.
Where there is water, it is only 3 to 4 inches deep! The residents of Bradley Stoke stand to lose a valuable recreation facility and wildlife sanctuary, unless something is done.

The streams feeding the lake will also back up, as the water will have nowhere to go – we saw signs of this last winter.

It was interesting to read in October’s Journal magazine of the possibility of a company that can utilise the silt, thereby potentially offsetting some of the costs of dredging. That would be an excellent result. However, when you put the estimated costs of £100,000 in the context that some individuals employed by South Gloucestershire Council, at our expense, are paid that sum as an annual salary, and some twice that amount, I think the wishes of the residents of Bradley Stoke deserve some very serious consideration.

Fred Hillberg
Bradley Stoke

This letter originally appeared in the November 2018 issue of the Bradley Stoke Journal magazine (on page 33). The magazine is delivered FREE, EVERY MONTH (except August), to ALL 8,700 homes in Bradley Stoke. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.

More: Statement from South Gloucestershire Council »

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