Coate Water Country Park

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Coate Water (grid reference SU188820) is a country park in the south-east of Swindon, near Junction 15 of the M4. It takes its name from the main feature, a reservoir originally built to provide water for the Wilts and Berks Canal.

Coate is the site of a 70 acre lake, built in 1822 and formed by diverting the River Cole. Its primary purpose was to provide water for the Canals and it remained outside the borough until expansion in 1928.^[1] In 1914, with the canal abandoned, Coate became a Pleasure Park. Changing rooms and a wooden diving board were added, the board since replaced with today's 33 ft (10 m) concrete one in 1935. Now named officially named Coate Water Country Park, it is both a leisure facility and a nature reserve. Coate Farm, with the Richard Jefferies museum, is contained within its environs.

Primarily for its breeding bird populations, an area of 51.1 hectares of the lake and its margins has been notified as a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest, notification originally taking place in 1971.^[2]

Contents 1 Development 2 Ecology 2.1 Birds 3 References 4 Bibliography 5 External links

[edit] Development

In 2004, Swindon Borough Council and the University of Bath published plans to develop land within the park and its environs as a new campus. Swindon Civic Trust opposed this move and local residents began a Save Coate campaign with the support of Friends of the Earth. The proposal would see The Swindon Gateway Partnership creating a university campus, expand Great Western Hospital and build hundreds of new homes on land on the site.^[3][4]

The campaigners note that -

"Coate boasts a host of Bronze Age, Romano-British and Medieval history that spans a period of up to about 3000 years. The oldest known ancient monuments at Coate are the Neolithic Stone Circle and the Bronze age burial mound along Day House Lane. However, no less than six Stone Circles have been recorded in the Coate area linked up, in part, by avenues of large Sarsen stones. The remains of one of the stone circles probably still lies at the bottom of the lake at Coate Water whilst other ancient finds are dotted around the area that include evidence of Medieval settlements."^[5]

and point out that is in conflict with several of Swindon Borough Council's own environmental policies.^[6]

A buffer zone around the park was proposed in late 2006,^[4] although campaigners and local residents do not think this is enough -

"In a poll, just 20 per cent of readers said they believed that the new plans would help to protect Coate Water." Swindon Advertiser^[4]

The issue was further compounded when Coate Water was voted "Swindon's Favourite Place" by the local population,^[7] in a competition organised by the Swindon Civic Trust.

Protests, including the 2004 "Hands around Coate Water" event,^[8] have heightened awareness of the Trust's campaign. Revised plans for the development are to be submitted in the first quarter of 2007.^[9]

[edit] Ecology

[edit] Birds

Coate Water is a notable site for birds. The following rare-in-Wiltshire species have been recorded there:

• Ring-necked Duck - a first-winter male in January 1998^[10]
• Red-throated Diver - a juvenile in March 1979^[11]
• Black-throated Diver - an non-breeding plumaged adult in February 1978^[12]
• Red-necked Grebe - an adult in March/April 1995^[13]
• Slavonian Grebe - one in January 1982^[14]
• Northern Fulmar - one in June 1978^[15]
• European Shag - one in September 1993^[16]
• Black-crowned Night Heron - adults in April 1978 and May 1990^[17]
• Purple Heron - a first-summer bird in May 1981^[18]
• Eurasian Spoonbill - two adults in April 1978^[19]
• Grey Phalarope - two juveniles in October 1987^[20]
• Little Auk - one in January 1984^[21]
• Rock Pipit - one in March 1976^[22]
• Savi's Warbler - one in May 1965^[23]
• Barred Warbler - one in September 1980^[24]
• Yellow-browed Warbler - one in September 1988^[25]
• Bearded Tit - a pair in October 1982^[26]

[edit] References

[edit] Bibliography

• Wiltshire Ornithological Society (2007) Birds of Wiltshire ISBN 978-0-9555270-0-5

[edit] External links

• English Nature (SSSI information)
• SSSI boundary at English Nature's "Nature on the Map" website
• Coate Water — Swindon Council's guide to the country park.
• Richard Jefferies Museum — Dedicated to the memory of one of England's most individual writers on nature and the countryside, this small museum is a short walk from Coate Water.
• Save Coate - Campaign website
• Swindon Gateway - Developer proposals

v • d • e Biological Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Wiltshire Acres Farm Meadow · River Avon System · Baverstock Juniper Bank · Bencroft Hill Meadows · Bentley Wood · Bincknoll Dip Woods · Blackmoor Copse · Botley Down · Bowerchalke Downs · Box Mine · Bracknell Croft · Bradley Woods · Bratton Downs · Brickworth Down and Dean Hill · Brimsdown Hill · Britford Water Meadows · Burcombe Down · Burderop Wood · Calstone and Cherhill Downs · Camp Down · Chilmark Quarries · Chickengrove Bottom · Chilton Foliat Meadows · Clattinger Farm · Clearbury Down · Cley Hill · Cloatley Manor Farm Meadows · Clout's Wood · Coate Water · Cockey Down · Colerne Park and Monk's Wood · The Coombes, Hinton Parva · Cotswold Water Park · Cranborne Chase · Dank's Down and Truckle Hill · Distillery Farm Meadows · East Harnham Meadows · Ebsbury Down · Emmett Hill Meadows · Figsbury Ring · Fonthill Grottoes · Scratchbury & Cotley Hills · Throope Down · Tytherington Down · Upton Cow Down · Winklebury Hill · Winsley Mines · Yarnbury Castle Neighbouring areas: Avon · Berkshire · Dorset · Gloucestershire · Hampshire · Oxfordshire · Somerset

Coordinates: 51.53659° N 1.73034° W