EAST Hampshire District Council’s community forum has given permission to release developer contributions of £10,500 to Medstead Parish Council to part-fund a village project.

Located at the northern end of the village green, near the road junction of Hussell Lane, Roedowns Road, South Town Road and High Street, the proposal to renovate the pond is included in Medstead’s parish plan and is the only major item that has yet to be delivered.

A survey, undertaken in 2015, showed 74 per cent of respondents to be supportive of a pond renovation project which Medstead Parish Council subsequently decided to split into two phases, with phase one comprising the engineering works involved with dredging and lining the pond, and alternations to the incoming drainage and overflow to the soakaway.

People at the meeting heard the excavation work has now been completed and a period of dry weather is needed in order to apply the clay puddle lining.

Phase two of the project is to integrate the renovated pond into a wider, environmentally improved area, with the installation of perimeter fencing with gates and the creation of a wildflower walk, accessible to wheelchairs, buggies and prams, to enable the pond to become central to the creation of a new village walk.

There are plans too for the installation of a ‘dipping platform’ with wheelchair access, and of benches, a picnic table and litter bin.

Finally, the site will be landscaped with native species to improve the biodiversity of the area.

While the overall cost of the project is now estimated at £22,000, much lower than originally thought thanks to the generosity of a resident in donating the labour, machinery and clay for phase one, Medstead Parish Council was seeking to use developer contributions to meet the cost of phase two, for environmental improvements up to £10,500.