The North Lake Restoration Project

The management of a country park involves a very delicate balancing act. The needs and safety of visitors must be carefully weighed against environmental impact and improvements in habitat that can be achieved with a little work.

You may have noticed, we are currently in the middle of a restoration project, and we are striving to do more than just achieve balance. We aim to vastly improve the natural habitat, as well as the future experience of our visitors.

We hope this page answers any questions you may have, however we are always on hand if you require more information.

This is what the lake looked like before the work started

Frequently Asked Questions

“What Are You Trying to Achieve?”
Over the years, wind and wave action has caused the bank to become undercut, causing the footpaths to slip into the lake. We aim to restore these banks as well as create three nature ponds to be enjoyed by wildlife and local school groups for pond dipping.

“Where is the material coming from?”
The fill material is locally dug inert soil from the local area.

“When will The North Lake reopen?”
The North Lake has now reopened.

“When will the tipping end?”
The tipping will stop in early summer. If the North Bank has not been completed, we will finish the project off during the 2011/2012 winter.

“Will this affect the wildlife on The North Lake?”
Only positively. We have worked closely with local ecologists to ensure we will not adversely affect the wildlife during the work. We have also worked closely with them to ensure what we will be creating will be hugely beneficial to the biodiversity of the area. We are also going to be helping ecologists meet targets for increasing bat numbers in The Waterpark. To do this, we will be installing bat roosts around the new reed beds and nature ponds.

“I've heard you plan to build lodges when you've finished?”
No. We would like to make it clear that these rumours are completely untrue. We are not going to build lodges on any of the Cotswold Country Park lakes. The lakes are in the green belt and are an area of rich biodiversity. Also,as we do not own the lake, (we have a lease) it would not be in our interest to do so. The only intention is to provide additional space for visitors to enjoy Cotswold Country Park.