Drainage Improvement Work Completed at Common Pond Site

As part of its obligation to ensure that the historic Common Pond in Bellbanks Road is well maintained and accessible to the public, the Town Council has been working hard in recent weeks to tackle potential flooding on the site.

At the pond, certain sections of the perimeter footpath have been prone to flooding during the winter months, restricting access to some parts of the open space. In response to this, Town Council maintenance staff have worked with external contractors to counter the problem by installing a new overflow pipe and culvert.

“Hailsham Town Council is responsible for a number of areas of public open space within the town,” said Councillor Mary Laxton, Chair of the Assets Management Committee.  “Most of these have designated footpaths to provide access to and around the area and a number of them, particularly at the Common Pond site, have experienced flooding over the past few winters.”

“As it appears that the increased amount of rainfall has become the norm for the local weather during the autumn and winter months, the Town Council has taken the necessary steps to ensure that future flooding of footpaths is prevented as much as possible.”

The Town Council’s plan to undertake these improvements to the Common Pond site are just part of the Council’s vision to enhance its open spaces over the course of the next few years.

With a good response from members of the public, the many improvements to Hailsham’s Common Pond over the two decades – including the installation of culvert fencing and the repair of some drain covers – have been successfully carried out, thanks to the regular maintenance and monitoring of the site by Town Council staff.

Other major improvements to the 1.86-acre site have included the removal of approximately 2,500 cubic metres of silt, the construction of a second island and sloping marginal wetland area and the installation of a hard surface path, benches and additional shrubs along the pond edge.

Since then, the Town Council has undertaken surveys of the site and, on the advice from the Environment Agency, additional work to improve and consolidate the island banks to prevent further erosion has been achieved in recent years by planting additional aquatic plants around the banks of the islands.

Town Clerk, John Harrison commented: “It’s always nice to receive positive feedback from people on the work undertaken by outdoor works staff at the Common Pond site and we look forward to the continuation of our work to maintain the area in the future to allow the pond life to flourish and make improvements so that residents and visitors can continue to enjoy this local beauty spot.”

“The Town Council is proud of its achievements to date at the Common Pond, which during the period between 1995 and 1998 saw the transition of the area from a rather raw and uninviting state.”

“I’d like to pass on the Council’s thanks to our pond warden Phil Hobden and the rest of the outdoor works team for all their hard work, and local residents who have been keeping a watchful eye on this wonderful site over the years.”

The Town Council is always happy to receive any donations to maintain this beautiful location. Additional information about the Common Pond is available to the public via the Town Council Offices, Inglenook, Market Street.