A nice bag of roach from Pockeridge top lake on Thursday

Below is the Club submission to the Council with reference to the Chippenham one Plan especially about the radial gate replacement

1 There appears to be a wish to remove cars from the town centre but also encourage retail/office/visitors. They won’t come if they can't park so this needs to be accounted for and does not appear to be included.

2 The river options are very concerning. Replacing the gate with a similar system will provide some flood management both above and below the weir. Any other option will cause potential further extensive flooding downstream (which was mitigated by the weir this winter) plus almost complete loss of water upstream in times of drought. The current situation due to the failure of the weir above Kellaways and the impact upstream of that is a good example of what might happen

3 If either of the non weir replacement options are chosen the river levels will be significantly lower than at present at best and will remove any water based amenity (Sea Scouts, Sailing Club, Chippenham Angling) as there is no guarantee of minimum water levels for any of these activities plus the bank steepness with lower water will make it impossible for most people but particularly disabled citizens to access the water and difficult for young children with their parents/carers, particularly in the Golf Course area.

4 What evidence is there that there is a problem with the ecology now? By changing the river level and flow it will just change the ecology, not necessarily improve and it could get worse with low water levels as many species of plants and fish require a certain depth of water to survive. The is also a potential issue with weed overgrowth if the flow/level is low as there wont be enough volume of water to control it. These issues will be exacerbated in the summer due to lower rainfall.

5 I understand the Hydrology study to establish exact water Summer and Winter water levels at fixed points along the length of the river Avon in question and the resulting width of the remaining river channel has not been completed so how can the public be expected to comment without the full facts . Further  the Environmental Impact study required has also not been completed, and is still " Work in Progress "

6 The examples given of how the river is and might look are completely different environments to that of Chippenham plus it is known that the Lyon one failed completely in the first heavy rains

7 The plan is not a conducive proposition to entice prospective retailers or leisure companies. High street retail is in decline as people shop online and leisure activities need parking. Therefore the Council will have to find the money out of an already stretched budget, which has more immediate needs for expenditure.