Dredging decision upsets villagers

HURST: A decision to empty and dredge the village pond in Hurst for the seond time in less than 12 months has upset villagers.

Calls have been made on social media for Hurst Parish Council to answer questions over why the procedure has been repeated and why more of parishioners’ money has been spent on the project.

On Tuesday, August 16, councillors announced on Facebook that ‘an ambitious and much needed project’ was about to start on the village pond, located in the heart of Hurst.

Pairsh councillor Paul Palmer explained that the main task was to remove ‘invasive New Zealand pigmyweed’ and to ‘future-proof the pond for future droughts’.

According to minutes issued by Hurst Parish Council the last time the village pond was emptied and dredged was November 2021, costing £1,056.

Villagers have since taken to social media to question why similar work is being carried out less than a year later.

One who wrote to the Advertiser raised fears that the pond’s ecosystem will be destroyed.

In a second message to the community on Facebook, Cllr Palmer stressed that the pond was emptied at short notice ‘given the rare opportunity due to the unprecedented weather’ and was done so following expert guidance from civil engineers at nearby Dinton Pastures.

Cllr Palmer also explained that expenses were spared due to volunteers coming together to provide equipment and fuel for machinery.

The main purpose of the emptying and dredging was to rid the waters of New Zealand pigmyweed.

The secondary purpose was to find out what lay at the bottom of the pond in the hope of improving its structure and longterm survival.

Five trenches were dug two metres down (one was dug to four metres) where a clay bed was found to exist below two foot of gravel.

The outcome of that is that the pond is fed by rain and not a water table, something that HPC wanted to determine.

Villagers have asked why this was done again and when the pond will be refilled.

Many are worried, with reeds surrounding the pond having also been removed, where birds are now going to nest.

Cllr Palmer has been contacted for further comment.