Gunby Hall Ponds
CLIENT
National Trust
WHEN?
Autumn 2016
In autumn 2016 Scarborough Nixon Associates Ltd worked alongside Creative Nature UK Ltd to complete management works to five of the ponds on a National Trust Estate in central Lincolnshire.
Previous surveys had identified the presence of great crested newts in some of the ponds. A Method Statement was prepared to protect great crested newts and ensuring legal compliance during the works, and a watching brief was maintained.
The marginal trees and scrub were cut back to reduce shading of the ponds, and any brash was piled up to create habitat piles on the banks of the pond. The ponds were de-silted and aquatic and emergent vegetation scraped out to open up areas for courtship displaying by great crested newts. A margin of emergent vegetation was left close to the banks of the ponds. The silt and vegetation removed from the pond was carefully disposed of, on neighbouring arable land, or on the pond margins, avoiding any areas of archaeological interest. One of the ponds is adjacent to an area of woodland, and this pond was enlarged into the arable field margin to provide an area of unshaded water suitable for egg laying by amphibians. Those ponds within fields that are used for grazing were fenced off, to prevent poaching of the banks by the cattle.
The photographs show the pond before, during and after the works and also the way in which habitat piles were created on the bank.




This project included...
- A Method Statement was prepared to protect great crested newts and ensuring legal compliance during the works, and a watching brief was maintained.
- Marginal trees and scrub were cut back
- Brash was piled up to create habitat piles
- Ponds were de-silted and aquatic and emergent vegetation scraped out to open up areas
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