About the Cotswold Water Park
What is the Cotswold Water Park ?
At 40 square miles the Cotswold Water Park is approximately the same size as the Island of Jersey. It is that part of the Upper Thames catchment in North Wiltshire & South Gloucestershire which has been subjected to over 50 years of sand & gravel extraction.
Key Facts
- 40 square miles of countryside
- 140 lakes
- 20,000 residents
- 40 different lake owners
- 74 fishing lakes
- 10 lakes with SSSI status
- 150km of pathways, bridleways and cycleways
- 6000 years of habitation
The Cotswold Water Park
The Water Park is the catchment area of the Upper Thames. Over millions of years, vast deposits of sand & gravel were laid down here as the Cotswolds were eroded into the Thames.
Back in 1967, it was designated the Cotswold Water Park by a Joint Committee formed from the four local authorities - Gloucestershire & Wiltshire County Councils, and Cotswold & North Wilts District Councils.
Today, 20,000 people live in the Park's 14 main settlements. Many more reside just outside the boundary and are affected by its operations. 13,000 people work in 850 businesses, and more than 500,000 visit every year.
West, Central & East
The Cotswold Water Park is divided into three main parts.
The Western section stretches from Poole Keynes, through Somerford Keynes, Shorncote & Ashton Keynes, to South Cerney. The Central section runs from Cerney Wick & Cricklade, across the A419, to beyond Latton & Down Ampney, while the Eastern section includes the villages of Kempsford, Fairford, Whelford & Lechlade.
In the past, most excavation occurred in the Western & Eastern sections. Quarrying has recently begun, however, in the Central section, and this is where the focus of extraction will be for the next few years. Plans are already in place to restore some big quarries east of Cricklade as a large wetland reserve.
Gravel Extraction
Gravel extraction began in the area over 50 years ago. Because the water table is so high, the first quarries were dug 'wet'; today, however, quarries are 'de-watered'. When extraction is complete, all pumps are switched off and the holes fill naturally with water.
So far, 147 lakes have been made this way: almost 1,000 hectares of open water.
The gravel deposits range in depth from a few centimetres to 6 metres, and begin about 1 metre below the surface.
At present, 7 mineral companies are extracting 2 million tonnes per year from 360 hectares, with a further 370 hectares having permission for extraction. The emerging mineral plans propose allocating another 550 hectares for extraction. Beyond this, there?s another 50 years supply of sand & gravel.
Restoration
In the past, individual fields were sold for extraction on a piecemeal basis. Poor restoration planning resulted in rectangular lakes with steep sides which were bad for fishing, worse for wildlife, and required remodelling before they could be used for water sports.
After extraction & restoration, most of these lakes were sold to the highest bidder. This often led to incompatible uses of neighbouring lakes - with conflict and problems.
At present, there are more than 40 different lake owners, who use their lakes almost entirely as private property, private clubs or for private developments. Until now, however, there's been limited strategic planning about the type and location of the different uses. Consequently, many lakes are poorly suited to their present use.
