Austen pond under threat from biodiversity scheme

A POND linked to Jane Austen is being turned into a “muddy swamp”, residents of the area have said.

Kings Pond lies at the edge of the Hampshire market town of Alton, near Chawton, where the novelist lived from 1809 until 1817.

Austen would regularly visit the town to shop, post letters, do her banking and catch the stage coach to London from its High Street.

However, residents are up in arms over local authority proposals to cut the pond off from the chalk stream that feeds it in a move it says will improve biodiversity, water quality and remove the need for costly dredging.

Locals, however, have condemned it as “municipal vandalism”, while the council has accused residents of indulging in “bonkers” conspiracy theories.

Debate has become so heated that Suzie Burns, a Lib Dem councillor, who is spearheading the £250,000 plan, recently claimed the vitriol directed at her and other elected officials may lead to the “end of democracy” in the town.

Kings Pond, created in the 1700s, is a popular attraction for families in the area, with populations of wildlife including kingfishers, ducks, and geese. But a draft management plan published by the town council earlier this autumn revealed plans to separate the pond from the River Wey which feeds into it.

As part of the public consultation, residents are being asked whether they would be happy for the local authority to see if the pond could be turned into a wet meadow instead.

A local paper reported that residents have claimed the project will “rip the

‘It’s been here for 200 years. It needs dredging every 30 years, and they don’t have the money’

heart out” of the town and turn the pond into a “‘muddy swamp”, accusing councillors of simply trying to save money on dredging.

David Dodd, 76, of the Save Kings Pond group, lives in a flat overlooking the water.

He said: “It’s been here for 200 years, and they want to get rid of it because it needs dredging every 30 years, and they don’t have the money.”

Alton Town Council accused some campaigners of indulging in “bonkers” conspiracy theories including that the site would be sold to developers.

The public consultation closed at the end of last month.