Milton Keynes City Council is restoring and improving the network of ponds at the Blue Lagoon Local Nature Reserve in Bletchley, as part of its ongoing commitment to improving biodiversity and maintaining attractive green spaces in the city.
The project, in collaboration with the Newt Conservation Partnership, will be fully funded using financial contributions from housing developers in Milton Keynes.
In addition to trimming overhanging vegetation thinning overcrowded trees and restoring the existing ponds, in which sediment and reeds have built up over time - limiting their ability to hold water - a new pond will be created opportunities for additional new ponds will be investigated.
The work will help a wider range of aquatic plants become established, which in turn creates a better space for great crested newts (a protected species with dwindling numbers in the wild) as well as other amphibians and small animals freshwater wildlife.
The work at the former brickworks site is expected to take around a fortnight, starting from 9 January. Disruption will be kept to a minimum, and paths will be open to ensure that local people can still visit and enjoy as much of the reserve as possible.
"The Blue Lagoon rightly celebrated for its biodiversity as it’s an incredibly rich place for flora and fauna. It’s in need of some extra care so the conditions are right for creatures to breed, and the work should also make the reserve a more pleasant place to visit. Despite clearing the lakes, we still ask people not to swim in them – please stick to swimming pools as the safer option."