Page 40 - link magazine

40 swindonlink.com • November 2009
the bigger picture

The field that became a hill to be turned into a field again

Over 23 years ago Swindon Council excavated 100,000 cubic yards of spoil to create Peatmoor lagoon which was taken half a mile away to
create a hill next to the Swindon to Gloucester railway line. Now the hill is to be dismantled to be come a flood storage area and the material
spread out over phase three of Shaw Forest Park.
“I know it sounds complicated where the hill is will become a 100 Shaw Forest will have noticed the year.”
but this is saving Swindon Council year rainfall flood storage area for plastic wildlife fencing put up for Phase 3 will not be ready for pub-
a lot of money,” said Bob Fisher, the forest which is another saving.” ecologists to study the area. Subject lic visits for another 18 months until
site manager of the Shaw Forest People walking or cycling along to their report, work on moving contractors have completed land-
restoration project. “The material the River Ray parkway close to the hill should start at the end of scaping and initial tree planting.
dug out when the lagoon was made
in the early 1980s was piled up by
the railway line because it was too
expensive to move it far. It was Hill to be
pretty much forgotten until we removed,
started looking for earth to cap the to become Nova Hreod
work we’re doing on the forest. It flood storage School
was a surprise that we had the soil
to complete the project.” Sparcells
Project manager David Rudland
said the discovery was fortuitous.
“We had been looking at importing
the soil from Blunsdon or Purton,
but having it right next to Shaw
Forest will save tens of thousands Path reopened
of pounds. What’s more, the area
Peatmoor
Footpath reopens Lagoon Railway line
A cycle and pedestrian route from Shaw Forest
Sparcells to the River Ray Parkway 1 & 2 Shaw Forest 3
has reopened to the public after River Ray Parkway
construction of a water filtering Mead Way
reed beds.
“We’d like to thank everybody for
their patience whilst the work was
going on,” said Bob Fisher.

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