Plans have been announced this week for the mere at Kenilworth Castle to be re-flooded. A councillor has said this would make Kenilworth the 'castle capital of the country'. This is an artist's impression of what it would look like.What do you think of the idea? We'd like to know your views.
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11 comments:
Great idea, it will look amazing. But the question has to be how much of taxpayers money will be spent on this?
It certainly looked great when the fields around the castle flooded the other year.
I'd rather have my taxpayers money spent on this than propping up another hopelessly illiquid bank.
Wonderful idea. This could really boost the town's economy.
What would happen to the bonfire if it's all flooded?
We visit the castle every so often & the water would create an attractive new aspect to the castle. I suspect that those who use the footpaths across the fields may be a bit put out though. As I believe it, as part of the defences, the water used to extend completely around the castle into what is now Castle Green & Castle Road. So, it is only going to be a partial recreation & hopefully they aren't going to get too carried away with it.
With reference to the suggestion that the Mere should be flooded. Before any monies are spent upon a feasability study of the proposal, it would be sensible to examine the last study that was carried out. Only a few years ago a comprehensive survey of the idea was udertaken at some considerable expense. The conclusion was that the suggestion was not viable, the capital cost and subsequent running costs would be uneconomic.
The results of that survey must be available somewhere and would bear examination.
If the lake is full to start with how can it be used to store flood waters? Or will it be emptied, to reveal a lot of rather unsightly mud, every time the BBC says it might rain the next day?
In response to the writer who asked if the lake were full then where would the excess flood water go, I would guess that the lake can be functional and still have plenty of room for flood overflow. If you look at lakes all over the world they do not sit as mud pits until it rains, and they do accommodate excess water for the most part.
I think that to flood the mere would be a fabulous tourist attraction, and could only increase the towns profile, and therefore income, in a time when economics are at the forefront of people's minds.
Re-filling the Mere would raise the water table, flooding gardens and causing structural damage in Clinton Lane and elsewhere. This was established in a full feasibility study carried out in the 1970s which is probably gathering dust in the council's archives. It's a beautiful vision but a huge and vastly expensive civil-engineering project.
What a great idea,"how beautiful it would look". Have you all forgotten,the arguement of kids fishing,in what used to be,common land? I for one,never gave written permission to hand it over to become a nature reserve. I mention this,as i was once put on bail for fishing on common land,after doing research to see if i was breaking any law,including local law. As i was correctly licenced,after a month of being treated like a criminal,was told,i had broken no law. But to carry on fishing,i would require written permission from everyone in the town to be allowed to fish.(rubbish). So,how can this common land be given away without everyones written permission? Flood the mere,put boats on it,and collect revenue from it for the privelage of knowing these local kids have a hobby,and are not running wild from boredom. Take some time to talk to these kids on their level to find out why they want to fish there. 1st answer is; it keeps them out of trouble,its local. Ask them why they are abusive to passers by. The answer to this,is; they shout at us,we shout back. We want peace,we want to get on with our fishing with no harrassment,were not hurting anyone,or killing the fish. I admit,some need to be taught not to leave line laying about,but,as most of us older anglers who see them fish,have explained things on their level,even taught them to fish effectively,and seen the sheer pleasure on their faces when they catch their personal best,or even 1st fish when they were getting bored and ready to give it up to go back to the streets and trouble. Put it another way,some are known by police,but im sure the police would not condone them fishing where it says "NO FISHING" but would welcome this as a method of giving these kids something to do. Also,some of these kids would spend alot of time there,so therefore,not be wasting police time,or more importantly,damaging property,causing distubance etc. This is in no way meant to give thse kids an excuse to their actions,but im sure they would rather be fishing,or out in a boat. The revenue gained does not stop locally. Tourists would use the boats,other anglers would contribute to the revenue by coming from different areas to fish. WHAT ABOUT THE BONFIRE? hows this for a vision? Build an island,one that is large enough not to disturb any birds that might make it their home and build it on there. The added reflection of the fire in the water,not to mention,the fireworks is magical. JUST DONT TURN IT INTO AN EXTENTION OF THE CONSERVATION AREA,that in my opinion,was stolen from the people of kenilworth in the respect that,surely,if i needed written permission to carry on fishing common land(not sure if that is required by law,or just what i was told by police). Someone will no doubt clarify this issue. On the other hand,parts could be set aside for conservation. There are alot of places where conservation areas share the same water as fisheries,both complimenting each other,and in alot of cases,revenue from sharing the water,benefits the wildlife. Have a heart,give it a try. It was once a moat. If it does not work,it can revert back to meadows,just as it was when the lake was detroyed.
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