Sirs,
I would like to amplify the comments that I made at the Parish meeting for those who were not present.
Firstly I would like to quote from an e-mail that I sent to all the councillors in Jan 2014:- “I would like to make it clear that I believe ARK has done much good work over the years for the good of the river health in particular the on-going pressure to reduce water abstraction”. Also “I feel that the large number of volunteers who willingly do a lot of work are being misled”. This full e-mail has been forwarded to Marlborough News Online.
At the meeting I commented that the unnatural islands built downstream from Stonebridge were an eyesore and only for fishing interests [trout spawning].
The oft quoted [by ARK] “beautiful” River Kennet has been made unsightly in one of the very few areas where public access is possible. This I discussed with the ARK director about a year ago and she said that if she was doing the plans again she would not include islands.
With regard to the master plan [Dec 2012] many details have been changed, eg. pond sighting, gates, seats, hedges etc. This leads one to assume that anything may be changed without much thought or consultation. I ask councillors and ARK committee members to come to the meadow and discuss details.
I hope your correspondent will realize that I am not sniping but just concerned that a lovely wild space has lost its wildness by “management” without much or any external consultation.
That is the big picture.
Yours sincerely,
Tony Reader
Marlborough
