CONSERVATIONISTS are holding a public meeting tomorrow night (WED) in Bishop’s Waltham to discuss the future of a local pond.

Bishops Waltham North Pond Working Group has organised the event to hear about the restoration project.

It will include presentations from the Environment Agency and Portsmouth Water Co.

The meeting will be at 7:30pm in the Jubilee Hall.

The Environment Agency is helping to fund the work which will clear trees and reduce the risks of the pond drying out in the summer.

Alan Inder, Chairman of the Bishops Waltham North Pond Working Group, said: "The funding from the Environment Agency has provided a big boost. The pond dries up each year when the water table falls and the encroachment of willow has been accelerating. Without any action being taken, the North Pond would have become marshy woodland within a few years.”

Barry Jerome, who managed this project for the North Pond Working Group, said: "Now the ground is clear it is possible to see where a lagoon could be dug. This is a long term aim of the restoration and will provide a place for fish and water birds to migrate to when the water level drops in the summer. A lagoon will also provide conditions for the marsh plants to flourish.”