Civic Offices Pond

Size: 690m²

Grid reference: TL46073 02402 click here for streetmap.co.uk

Owners: Epping Forest District Council

Access: No public - access by appointment only.

Past History. At the start of the 20th century ponds were very common in Epping. There were 20 on the northern side of the High Street alone. The Civic Offices pond was one of these and is shown on the 1881 OS map. Unfortunately, a hundred years later in 1988 the Civic Offices pond was the only survivor, with all the other ponds lost to development as it extended north from the High Street.

Even this pond was initially threatened with extension proposals for the Civic Offices Car Park in 1988. The pond and its surrounding enclosure was initially allocated for car parking, but the discovery of great crested newts led to the plans being amended. Whilst the majority of the former field was lost, the pond and a small area of grassland surrounding it were saved.  This area was enclosed by a wall and planted with various trees and shrubs. In addition, thought was given to creating safe access for the newts between the breeding pond and surrounding gardens, which are now their main feeding area. This arrangement has been successful as the population of great crested newts is still present 20 years later.

Site Description. The pond is situated within a walled enclosure to the rear of Epping Forest District Council Offices 323 High Street, Epping. It is notable for containing four species of amphibian including Great Crested Newt (Triturus cristatus) Common Frog (Rana temporaria), Toad (Bufo bufo) and Smooth Newt (Triturus vulgaris).In addition, to the good amphibian population the pond also supports a number of dragonfly species including the Broad Bodied Chaser (Libella depressa) and Common Darter (Sympetrum stiolatum).

The enclosure itself covers an area of approximately 690m² and consists of rough grassland, bramble and scrub. Numerous refuge sites have been created within the enclosure with a combination of compost heaps, tiles, brick and logs. The pond has a surface area of approximately 75m²

Obviously, the car park could be a major barrier and hazard to the GCNs, but this was taken into consideration at the time of construction and planned for. The enclosure itself is walled completely except for the top northwest corner. Here there is a wood fence panel, which is open at the bottom and allows the newts to migrate in and out. (It is also worth noting the new northwest car park wall at this point is off set from the existing old wall bordering 4 Buttercross lane allowing access out into neighbouring gardens.) Once the newts are outside the pond enclosure they find themselves at the base of the new boundary walls that were built around the car park. In front of these walls a native shrub hedge was planted. This has matured well and allows the newts to move along the wall bottoms in safety. Along the length of the new walls surrounding the car park are space bricks, which again allow movement of newts out into adjoining gardens. This has been vital for the survival of the colony of GCNs as the gardens are vital feeding areas.

Management. Since 1992 Countrycare has given management advice and organised practical maintenance of the pond with the assistance of local volunteers. In practice this has meant annual maintenance of the vegetation within the enclosure and the management of pond vegetation. The water level does fluctuate significantly and is prone to invasion by greater reed mace. The pond has been desilted on a couple of occasions.

Surveys. Due to its steep banks and the strong vegetation cover in the summer the pond is very difficult to survey. However, in 2008 a full survey was undertaken.

Great Crested Newts at the Civic Offices Pond most commonly seen under logs created as refuges.

To read the 2011 Civic Offices Pond management plan click here.