Meeting held on Monday 16^th June 2008

  Purpose of meeting: A meeting was held at the Parish Centre at 19:00 hrs of the above evening with members of the Parish Council, Invited members of the public and Mr Graham West of WMDC to discuss the future for Coppers Lake and try and formulate a joint plan between WMDC, Crofton Parish and its residents. Many would like to see the lake and park returned to the valued amenity it was previous. Persons present were also aware that Coppers Lake must also play a part in WMDC plans for the flood defence of Crofton.

  Present:- Cllr’s T Chalkley, K Brown, R Hewitt, G Scofield, G Makin, P Jacques, S Bennett.4 x members of the public; Mr G West WMDC; Mr B Riley Parish Clerk.

  Mr West was introduced to the meeting as now being the person who is officially overseeing works at Coppers Lake. Mr West has recently visited the lake on a number of occasions and is of the sound view works are still ongoing and not complete.

  Mr West whilst conscious of previous events that had occurred however, his main remit was to provide and maintain effective flood defences and water courses which included Coppers Lake. Mr West also pointed out that he had limited funds which would not meet all the plans as previously committed by WMDC in the spring of 2007.

  Mr West briefly outlined plans his department had for the lake these being as followed:-

1. The outflow to the lake would be upgraded and repairs made that protect the public and allow a flow of water through the system.
2. The outflow pipe is an unknown quantity which would initially require an internal examination using a camera, this would ascertain if the pipe is blocked or silted up.
3. A proportion of the silt, especially to the sides of the Headwall would be removed by mechanical means and either deposited in areas around the park or taken away for recycling. Safety and signage would become a priority.
4. The lake would then become part of an explicit maintenance programme where the system would be inspected annually and problems like silt build ups would probably be part removed over 5 & 10 year periods, at some stage in the future all the silt would have to be removed.
5. Unfortunately Mr West could not foresee the fish being returned to the lake or a reintroduction of recreational fishing. It would be ill advised to install platforms at this moment in time.

All the works would take in consideration the effect to the flora and fauna within the park, also that no works would be carried out without consulting the parish and wildlife professionals of when the least impact would take place. Mr West did however insist that he needed to start the works as soon as possible.

  Mr West finally referred to the condition of the Headwall, having closer inspected the structure he felt that the volume of water could not be raised any further as the wall may now not be able to permanently withstand further stresses however, after lowering the lake last year the effect probably minimised the flooding caused by the deluge of June 2007. Further works and repairs would probably be a project for the future.

  Councillors and the public responded to Mr West by discussing some of the following issues:-

1.     The week previous saw the lake raised sufficient to allow wildlife and in particular the resident Swan to swim rather than wallow, a small rise in the level would also cover much of the silt and make the lake look more presentable without too much water resting against the wall.

2.     One member of the public expressed concerns that if fishing were to be reintroduced this would lead to careless discard of shot & equipment which has injured wildfowl in the past. Whilst this is a very valid point many would wish to see fishing again around the lake, however the comment previous points towards any fishing to be strictly managed.

3.     If Mr West’s department is financially limited then it may be a job of the Parish Council with the support of residents to lobby local council and our MP/ MEP to seek funding from central government and the EU not only for Coppers Lake but our surrounding water courses.

4.     It was suggested that WMDC parklands plays a part in redeveloping the parkland and providing much needed protection to the wildlife within Coppers Lake. Many present were disgusted to here that the female Swan which died recently had been shot several times with an air-rifle.

5.     Rats that have taken up residence within the newly formed voids of the Headwall are causing concern and would need some vermin control.

6.     One resident asked where the fish had gone and what arrangements would be made for their return.

7.     Mr West was asked as part of the outflow work if he and his team would look at removing the build up of silt in the Beck at the back of Woodlands, many residents were convinced this was a reason why their homes became flooded.

8.     A discussion of probably forming a support group took part.

  Mr West was thanked for his attendance, on leaving Mr West expressed that he would wish to meet and talk again with those present in the near future.

  Trevor Chalkley  - On behalf of Crofton Parish Council

Members of the Parish Council had a site meeting at Copper Lake to review the current position:

Coppers Lake (Crofton)

Parish Council Inspection report for Sun 27^th April 08

Attended  Cllr’s T Chalkley (Chairman), S Bennett (Vice Chairman),R Hewitt , G Scofield.

Apologies None.

NB invites were extended to District Councillors and members of the public.

Synopsis.

 An on-site meeting was arranged so as to ascertain an update of the ‘Flood defence works’ carried out on the lake since the work was undertaken during 2007.

              Briefly, the original  plan was for the lake was to be drained, de-silted, cleared of rubbish and partly refilled thus allowing the lake to retain a greater volume of water during heavy rains and deluges. Plans also facilitated for fish to be removed during the works and returned to the lake at a later date.

              Works carried out in the spring of 2007 left the water level low thus exposing deep expanses of silt and weaknesses to the Headwall and outlet pipe.

              It was distressing to many residents how poorly and unprofessional the works had been initiated with little regard to the welfare of any wildlife, this left the lake and surrounding areas unsightly and of risk to the general public.

              It is appreciated that these works are a vital part of the ‘flood Defence’ programme within the Wakefield area, works carried out last spring may have already been proven during last year’s summer deluge. Whilst the lake did appear to have done its job by holding a greater volume of water, weaknesses and failures of the headwall, outlet pipe and beck that runs behind Woodlands did lead to some flooding of homes in the lower Ashdene area.

Inspection

              Recent steady spring rainfalls has re-filled the lakes water level near to its previous point however, the lake was still showing areas of exposed silt and sludge around the edges. The high visibility safety fence had been removed which in general made the views around the lake more acceptable.

              It was pleasing to see that repairs had been carried out on the headwall and that much of the rubbish in the lake and around the back had been removed.

              Much of the wildlife such as Mallards and other types of pond birds were back on the lake after disappearing the previous year. The Swans looked to be in better condition and were already busy building nests and sitting on eggs.

              The park grassland area had been cut and left clean and tidy.

Concerns

              We feel that the condition of the outlet pipe is an unknown quantity. After failing during the deluge of 21^st June 2007, residents feel this caused the flooding of houses along Ashdene Avenue, Chestnut Grove and Woodlands. Those residents downstream are fearful of any re-occurrence.

              The beck that flows between Chestnut Grove and Woodlands is heavily made up with silt and requires cleaning out.

              There are still a few items of rubbish embedded in the lake and requires removing. The lakes waters-edge is in need of a general tidy up.

              By lowering the lake water there is an insufficient depth of water to maintain future fish stocks. The depth of the silt in and around the lake is still a safety hazard to the general public and in particular children who frequently play within the park.

Recommendations and requests

              Whilst the amount of sludge and silt in and around the lake still requires some attention, the Parish Council would request that any works implemented be done with a view to ensuring the safety of the general public. These works should be undertaken by an experienced contractor who can demonstrate a ’Duty of Care’.

              The in-flow silt traps still require some cleaning and maintenance so as to prevent any further build ups of silt within the lake.

              The Parish Council are grateful for any consultation however, we would express a wish that any future works of a similar nature be planned and executed with sufficient funds to complete the intended task even if this would require the overall project to be funded over a number of years.

              Coppers Lake was one of the few village amenities that provided recreational fishing. It was generally regarded as a safe area for the younger angler. We would request that a fishing provision be returned to the village; maybe part of the lake could be developed?

Ms June Rothwell (WMDC Environmental) last year made an offer to fund the provision of fishing platforms so that the water could be accessed safely, we would ask if this offer is still available.