Upcoming Improvements to Hailsham Common Pond Site

Additional improvement work is set to be carried out at the Common Pond site as part of the Town Council’s obligation to ensure that its parks and open spaces are well maintained and visually appealing to the public.

Proposed upcoming works at the Common Pond site include the removal of submerged weeping willow trees, crown raising and thinning out of trees and removal of overgrown plants on the pond’s two islands.

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. Furthermore, it is hoped that an Assets Improvement Plan will be set up in the near future to include improvements to other Town Council-maintained sites including Hailsham Country Park, Hailsham Cemetery, recreation grounds, play areas and public open spaces.

With a good response from members of the public, the many improvements to Hailsham’s Common Pond over the past decade – 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 the Town Council’s outdoor works team.

Major improvements to the 1.86-acre site have been carried out by the Town Council since 1996, including 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.

As part of Hailsham Town Council’s obligation to ensure that the Common Pond is well maintained and visually appealing to the public, part-time pond warden Phil Hobden checks the pond on a regular basis and reports problems or concerns about the site to the Town Council.

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

Mr Harrison added: “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.”