Heath Ponds & Dams Project dam news
Date: 25 June 2013 17:23
Dear Swimmers,
During the latest stage of the Ponds Project the following options from the engineers have been suggested for the Boating Pond dam (the dam between the Men's Pond and the Boating Pond).
I must stress that these options were rushed out to us following the recent Pond's Project Stakeholders walk on the Heath, and they are very much back-of-the-envelope calculations which we intend to challenge. We hope to have more precise information in three weeks time.
"Do Nothing Option – if you didn't put any additional storage at the Boating Pond then Atkins would need to install a 125m grass reinforced spillway across the whole of the Men's Pond dam. This is 5m longer than the existing dam and would require total tree removals even around the left and right hand side of the dams. The existing dam would be re-profiled so that it linked immediately into Highgate No. 1 pond with all tree and vegetation removed where the spillway enters this pond. It would transform the appearance of the both Highgate No. 1 and Men's Pond and look very sterile with very close mown grass.
3m Raising of Boating Pond – this would require just a 20m spillway positioned to the right hand side of the pond that could potentially be constructed to have minimum visual intrusion into the Men's Pond
1.5-2m Raising of Boating Pond – this would require half of the Men's Pond dam to become a grass reinforced spillway with removal of all vegetation in the area chosen, as stated in the Do Nothing Option. Andy also believes it would be necessary to increase the remaining half of the dam by at least half a metre."
Until very recently you may have noticed some posts rising out of the fence on the dam, they represented the 3m suggested in option two. I know lots of you had already seen the posts, but unfortunately they have now been removed. We will write to the City to ask them to put them back as many pond users may not have seen them. Hopefully we will be successful in this so you can visualise the height more clearly.
The HMPA committee has met since receiving this information and we have a number of issues on which we would like clarification. Among our requests is a more open approach to the options available.
Our response to the City will go back to them shortly, and we will have a members meeting when we have more information and it's appropriate to have a members vote on our preferred option. This meeting will be open to fully paid up members of the HMPA, so if you haven't paid our membership fee and you're interested in attending this meeting and having a say on our recommendation to the City please join up here: http://highgatemenspondassociation.bigcartel.com/product/annual-membership
Copyright © 2013 Highgate Men's Pond Association, All rights reserved.
Highgate Men's Pond Association.
Our mailing address is:
Highgate Men's Pond Association
Dickenson Road, London, United Kingdom
London, England N8
United Kingdom
Comments