A lake restoration plan for Hatchet Pond, New Forest SSS1

Hatchet Pond and Hatchet Little Pond are two waterbodies which form unit 449 of the New Forest SSSI together with other small and temporary ponds and the surrounding wet heath and mire. Hatchet Pond is a 6.7ha SAC lake (Annex I habitat: Nutrient-poor shallow waters with aquatic vegetation on sandy plains; H3110) which was created in the 18th Century to provide power for an iron mill and is now a popular tourist spot and coarse fishing site. A Common Standards Monitoring condition assessment was undertaken by UCL in July 2011 and classed the habitat in unfavourable condition. Natural England's SSSI remedies programme includes 'restoration projects' as a mechanism for achieving 'favourable condition' and in 2014 commissioned 'An Outline Management Plan for Hatchet Pond, New Forest SSSI' (Appendix 1) which summarised the issues and made recommendations for management. A fish survey was commissioned in 2015 to determine species composition and provide density estimates of the fish populations in Hatchet and Little Hatchet Ponds, the potential role of fish relative to other likely factors contributing to the condition of the lake was determined and described. (Appendix 2).

We require a Contractor to produce a detailed lake management plan (to be completed by 28/03/2018), specifying the management required in a logical sequence, setting clear objectives in agreement with stakeholders, providing costs and timescales for the work, undertaking user and stakeholder engagement and providing a detailed monitoring plan to measure success. The detailed lake management plan should be based on recommendation option 2 from the "Hatchet Pond outline management plan" (appendix 1).

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