First phase of major project to boost wildlife at lake at Peterborough's Ferry Meadows complete

A project that has been designed to encourage an increase in wildlife at Ferry Meadows has successfully completed its first phase.

Regular visitors to Ferry Meadows over the past year would have noticed the huge mound of earth sitting next to Gunwade Lake, left over from the new car park construction at Lakeside.

This is part of a new reed bed habitat creation project in the park, which has now completed its first phase.

It has been designed to improved habitat for fish as well as other amphibian, bird and invertebrate species.

Thanks to funding from Valencia Communities Fund through the Landfill Communities Fund and from the Environment Agency Fisheries Improvement Programme, in partnership with the Environment Agency and Peterborough and District Angling Association, the soil has now been moved into the lake by contractors, The Fen Group and phase one of the project is now complete.

Burying this mound of earth in Gunwade Lake has created a large underwater soil bed, which once settled, will then be planted with common reed, which thrives in shallow water.

Overtime, the reed will establish itself to create a large reed bed, currently a scarce habitat in the park.

This will improve the biodiversity of the lake as well as helping filter the water. Once established, this new reed bed habitat will support a wide variety of species.

The dense tangle of submerged reed stems and roots will provide secure spawning sites for fish as well as a refuge for small fish, keeping them safe from predatory fish and birds.

The project began in mid-January with the movement of the soil into the lake. There is now a period of settling needed. By the summer this year, contractors will return to finesse the bed structure, in order to maximise the benefit to wildlife and to plant the reed rhizomes to speed up the establishment of the reed bed.

In the meantime, the grass area which was covered with the mound of earth for over a year will soon be reseeded with a wildflower mix to create a wildflower meadow, which will benefit pollinator species. A bee and butterfly bank is also being created.

This part of the project has been funded by Big Motoring World. Chris Rollason, Deputy Park Manager said: “The creation of a new reed bed in the park will provide a rare and extremely valuable habitat for wildlife.

"The work is part of our wider fish habitat improvements but has the potential to benefit a whole host of different species and increase the biodiversity of the lake and its margins. We have been working with our partners the Peterborough & District Angling Association and the Environment Agency on a number of exciting habitat improvement initiatives and hope to deliver even more over the coming years.”

Gareth Williams, Operations Manager at Valencia Communities Fund added: “The creation of a reed bed, once widespread and in decline, provides an important natural habitat for birds and fish. Valencia Communities Fund are pleased that our funding has helped to slow this decline.”

Hugh Bunker, local Environment Agency Fisheries Technical officer, has been working with Nene Park Trust and Peterborough & District Angling Association for over 20 years, delivering a range of rod license funded fisheries projects.

He said: “In 2023 we not only supported the reed bed creation project but supported the development and delivery of additional fisheries habitat improvements within the park. These improvements have been specifically designed to improve spawning areas and to mitigate predation on fish populations.

"These projects would not have been possible without our successful partnership with Nene Park Trust and Peterborough & District Nene Angling Association.”