“Last winter BCP Council took about 40 tonnes of mud and silt out, with the idea that with a wet winter, it would have filled the pond and increased its resilience. However, we’ve actually had such an aggressive dry spell that the loss of water has got much worse.

“All wildlife is migrating. It’s a really sad, sorry state of affairs.

“I have been working with the BCP Council Ecology Team, as well as reaching out to the water companies, the Parks Foundation and others, to see what can be done.

“Regarding the wildlife pond, a lot of effort has been going on behind the scenes to get this resolved. I have had regular meetings with the management at Queen’s Park Golf Course, and we have been following every possible option to address this.

“We have been in contact with:

• Southwest Water
• Wessex Water
• Bournemouth Water
• The Environment Agency
• The Parks Foundation
• The Greenspace Team
• The Senior BCP Ecology Officer
  and a host of other professionals and organisations.

“I will try to give my impression from speaking to a range of experts on this:

“The consensus is that the water loss is consistent with evaporation of 2-3cm of water per week. Given the surface area of the pond being ~2,500 square metres, that’s between 50,000L and 75,000L a week being lost.

No breach of the pond’s clay lining, say experts

“I have asked the question that has been raised by local residents about a potential breach of the clay lining, and this has been ruled out for a few reasons:

• Firstly, the rate of water loss from a breach would be much faster, especially in combination with the weather conditions.
• Secondly, the only areas of the pond that are actually retaining water are those that were dredged, which increased the holding capacity. If that work hadn’t been carried out, there would be no water left at all.
• Thirdly, the senior ecologist is adamant that the rate of water loss is consistent with evaporation from a long, dry, sunny spell. We have had the sunniest spring since records began which has followed a winter of lower than average rainfall, which in turn followed a summer where water levels were critically low in August.

What can be done about the water loss in the short term?

What can be done about this in the short term?

“Well, we can’t use mains water as it has background levels of chlorine present that would kill off the invertebrate and micro fauna at the base of the food chain. The senior ecologist has advised that raw reservoir water or dechlorinated water would work at a push. We are also looking at tens if not hundreds of thousands of litres being required, which simply can’t be supplied from a metered mains supply.

“I managed to get through to the operations team at one of the water companies, who said it might be feasible to get a 14,000L tanker of dechlorinated water to the site. However since then, the water companies have declared drought conditions nationally and that has changed the game. I followed up with them again this afternoon and they have promised that someone will come back to me on Monday. I haven’t received a flat out ‘No’ so far, so I will keep pushing them until I run out of options.

“There is more, but I think this covers the broad strokes.

“The wildlife pond means a great deal to me and my family. My daughters are distressed by this, as I’m sure many park users and residents are also. I can assure you that everything possible is being done to sort this out, but we are ultimately dealing with forces of nature here.

“What we need above all is rain, and lots of it.

A full solution on the way this winter

“Nonetheless, a programme of winter works has now been designed to improve the pond’s resilience to future warm spells.

“Unfortunately, this does mean the distressing current appearance of the pond won’t be resolved for at least another 2-3 months.”

The post Low water levels in Queen’s Park pond: “A huge amount of effort” going on, and full programme of remedial works booked, says Alasdair Keddie appeared first on Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole Green Party.

Work is now underway to regenerate the Woodpecker Play Area at Queen’s Park.

Over Summer half-term, children were invited to look at the options for new play equipment [pictured] and vote for what they liked the most.

The work in progress includes:

• Installation of the new multi-play equipment, chosen by the children – including an extra item to increase the amenities of the play park
• Repair of the basket and toddler swings
• Refurbishment of the accessibility ramp to ensure inclusive play
• Regeneration of the fort with new materials, selected to last against the elements.

Hard-working Green Councillor for Queen’s Park & Charminster, Alasdair Keddie, commented: “I’m really pleased that securing grant funding from the Veolia Environmental Trust has brought forward the repairs and improvements to the play area. This space has been sorely missed by families.

“We are at the front of play park regeneration in the whole conurbation. When the work is completed, we will have a destination-grade play area. Access to grant funding via the Forum has been a game-changer.”

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• £4,500 for repairs and improvements to the Strouden Park sports pavilion
• £8,000 to support regeneration of Cyril Park – which has not seen any meaningful upgrade in more than 10 years
• £7,000 for removal and replacement of the condemned pond viewing platform at Queen’s Park.

Alasdair commented: “Cyril Park is the only green space that a lot of children in this dense residential space have access to. It is vital that it is fit for purpose.

“The Queen’s Park pond brings a lot of joy to park users. The old viewing platform has sadly been fenced off as it is no longer safe. I’m delighted to have secured Community Infrastructure funding, levied from developers, for a replacement.”

“The pond’s low water levels this year have been a big concern, There has been a huge amount of effort to try to address this. A full programme of works is booked in to preserve the long-term future of the pond.” [Read more on the pond…]

The post New investment for all three Queen’s Park & Charminster green spaces secured by Alasdair Keddie appeared first on Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole Green Party.

On seven separate occasions he has found such evidence. He has passed each on to BCP Council’s Enforcement Team, who have opened actions.

Alasdair commented: “Each of these enforcement actions should lead to one less fly-tipper in Queen’s Park & Charminster.

“Are there areas around where you live that are suffering from fly-tipping or litter issues? Please let me know.”

The post Fly-tipping in Queen’s Park & Charminster: Enforcement actions underway after evidence secured by Alasdair Keddie appeared first on Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole Green Party.

Alasdair commented: “Untidy graffiti tags can give a sense of urban decay.  Due to budget cuts, BCP Council’s graffiti team no longer respond to incidents of graffiti that aren’t abusive or profane. I’ve been looking at how other cash-strapped councils are working around reduced funding. A vital component has been enabling communities to remove graffiti, with equipment and training from the council. This scheme in our area enables community volunteers to be able to tackle graffiti rapidly.

“Thank you to the residents who joined me to remove graffiti from the council-owned walls along the Wessex Way[pictured above]. It worked brilliantly, with a mile of alleyways along the Wessex Way completely cleared of graffiti on the council walls.”

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Alasdair commented: “The nighttime economy has been an early priority for me. In Charminster, we’ve seen anti-social behaviour escalating into serious violence, with irresponsibly run venues and breaches of licensing principles.

“However, a huge amount has been achieved in the last 18 months. One Charminster venue has had its licence
revoked. Another has voluntarily reduced its hours. A third has had restrictions placed on its hours. The net result is reduced violence, and reduced impact on residents.”

“We want a thriving nighttime economy in Charminster, but not at the cost of public disorder and disruption to residents. That rebalancing is happening.”

Photo: Alasdair Keddie chairing a Licensing meeting at BCP Civic Centre

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Local Green councillor Alasdair Keddie says: “A Neighbourhood Plan allows the community to take more control over planning decisions.

“We can set local policies saying we want to develop more affordable family homes, and fewer one-bedroom
flats and Houses in Multiple Occupation.

“It’ll also unlock increases in the levy we can charge developers to fund local community infrastructure.”

Get involved:

• qpc.org.uk
• admin@qpc.org.uk
• facebook.com/queensparkforum

The post Queen’s Park & Charminster Neighbourhood Plan underway to give community more control and investment appeared first on Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole Green Party.

The Woodpecker Play Area in Queen’s Park is set to be renewed, with a £73,000 grant secured from the Veolia Environmental Trust. The project will include new play equipment, improved facilities, and enhancements to the surrounding environment – making Queen’s Park an even better place for our community to come together.

Hard-working Green Councillor for Queen’s Park & Charminster, Alasdair Keddie, identified a suitable grant fund to apply to, and worked with the Queen’s Park & Charminster Neighbourhood Charity and BCP Council’s Greenspace Team to get the successful application in motion. The Neighbourhood Charity’s survey to local residents on the site’s future received 200 responses within days.

The existing wooden adventure play area installation has sadly largely expired long before its intended use-by date. Large parts of it are boarded up and no longer safe. The impact has been deeply felt by families in our local area.

Photo: Much of the existing play equipment has rotted

This came after staff at severely cash-strapped BCP Council had indicated to Alasdair they could not foot the entire cost of renewing the playground at this time. However, securing the grant will kickstart the project earlier, with a major financial contribution from the Council as part of their Plan for Play.

Photo: Alasdair at a prior site visit with BCP Council staff

Alasdair says: “The grant is a great win for our community!”

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First project supported by relaunched community charity after Alasdair Keddie’s groundwork

Last year, local volunteers successfully took over the management of an unloved patch of land near Queen’s Park. They envisioned a haven for biodiversity and pollinators, and a facility for the whole community.

This Community Garden was the first project supported by the newly relaunched Queen’s Park & Charminster Neighbourhood Charity, after new local trustees stepped up. Reviving the charity was one of Councillor Alasdair Keddie’s key goals after being elected.

Alasdair also directly helped the Community Garden get off the ground, by negotiating BCP Council’s transfer of open space to community ownership.

Alasdair says: “We kickstarted the Garden with plants and flowers rescued from the sadly closed King’s Park Nursery, with further donations from the community.

As we go in to Spring, it’s beginning to burst with life, with the first flush of daffodils, tulips and bluebells coming in to bloom. The garden continues to evolve with a wildlife pond, bug hotels, a ‘dead hedge’ and other wildlife-friendly features.”

The post New Queen’s Park Community Garden coming into bloom appeared first on Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole Green Party.

• The old rusty bins are being replaced with new multi-use bins.
• Wonky planter poles are being removed, but serviceable ones will remain.
• Tired, graffitied street signs are being replaced.
• A new bike rack will be installed outside Cecil Court.
• A new pavement cleaning machine is scheduled, to remove chewing gum and debris from the pavements.

Queen’s Park & Charminster Green Councillor Alasdair Keddie explained: “These improvements have been made possible by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.”

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