Extension of the Moor Green Lakes Reserve

The Moor Green Lakes Reserve, as currently exists, is the result of sand and gravel extraction from what was originally farm land - Moor Green Farm and Grove Farm in fact. The conditions imposed when granting planning permission to carry out the extraction were that it should be restored as a Nature Reserve with controlled public access. Earlier extraction to the east and the south has left deep lakes surrounded with naturally grown trees and scrub that are now used for angling and water sports - very little restoration was done.

Immediately to the west of the current Reserve gravel extraction has been carried out since 2000 on what was part of Manor Farm. This area will become an extension of the Moor Green Lakes Nature Reserve, providing a range of additional habitats: grassland, cultivated land, reed-beds, wet meadows and open water. Extraction should be complete in this area during 2009. About a third of the area has already been restored to the required levels using material from the site; imported material is required to complete the job.

In 2008 permission was granted for further extraction west of Longwater Road on Fleethill Farm. The restoration of this area will result in yet further expansion of the Nature Reserve. The resulting habitats provided will include five smaller lakes with marginal growth, areas of wet woodland and protection of more than 90% of the mature trees which grow on the site. The Planning application for the Fleethill Farm area is available on the Wokingham Borough website.

The approximate size and timing of the development is:

 *Future dates are totally unofficial and very approximate.

Once completed the Moor Green Lakes Reserve will be almost four times the present size and stretch for 2.2 miles along the River Blackwater.

Establishment of the reed-beds, wet meadows and wet woodland depends on a flow of water through the area. This will come mainly from the Colebrook Cut which originally flowed through the area. This stream is currently diverted into the river via Colebrook Lake while extraction and restoration is carried out.

The extracted material is processed at the Eversley plant, just south of the river. Lorries and conveyors transfer the material from the diggings to the processing plant. In order to dig the sand and gravel from Manor Farm, which is below the natural ground water level, the area is pumped out so that machinery can operate. The extracted water has to be processed to remove the sediment and some naturally occurring impurities before it can be discharged into the river.

Extraction from the Fleethill area will be done by "wet digging". Once the top layers of material have been removed, the sand and gravel will be dug from the water that will naturally fill the excavations; this avoids the need to process the extracted water and also maintains the ground water levels required by the trees which are being retained. The extracted material will be transported to the existing Eversley processing plant by conveyor which will pass through the existing Colebrook culvert under Longwater Road and across the Manor Farm area. This means that the Manor Farm restoration cannot be completed until after the Fleethill extraction is finished, the conveyor removed and the flow of the Colebrook Cut is restored to provide the flow of water for the reed beds and wet meadow.

The restoration plans include access paths that are indicative at this stage, the exact route will be established in the final stages of restoration. While plans indicate "viewing points", there is no provision of viewing hides. It is likely that the Moor Green Lakes Group will seek grant and donation funding for these following completion of the restoration.

As part of the agreement of planning consent for Fleethill extraction, CEMEX have agreed to provide 25 years of basic maintenance for both Manor Farm and Fleethill Farm.