FAQs
If Broad Oak Water becomes a regional destination, won’t that generate lots of traffic?
As part of developing the plans, we’ll look at how many visitors are expected and the traffic this could create on local roads and in the surrounding area. This helps us check if everything can be managed without causing major problems.
The busier it gets, the bigger the impact - and those impacts would need to be addressed in a way that satisfies local communities, key stakeholders, and regulators like the local highway authority, Natural England and the Environment Agency.
This will influence the scale of recreational development that is likely to be acceptable to the Local Planning Authorities.
What do mean when you talk about events at the reservoir?
An event could be a gathering organised by groups like Kent Wildlife Trust, a local school, scouts or guides, a club, the university, or the local council.
To prevent problems like excessive noise or traffic, there may be limits on the number of people, the hours, and how many events can happen each year.
Which of the recreational options is most likely and how will you decide what to proceed with?
We’ve started looking at which option might work best for the site, considering its rural setting, nearby sensitive wildlife areas, road access, neighbouring activities, operational constraints and feedback from our Stakeholder Advisory Group.
Right now, a medium-level option seems most suitable, but we’d really like to hear views from a wider audience on what they’d like to see at the site.
We’ll also use environmental and transport studies to help decide what’s acceptable.
How will you avoid the visitors and recreational activities disturbing the wildlife that you are aiming to encourage?
The reservoir is being designed with the environment in mind, and we’ll do everything possible to avoid harming important habitats and protected areas.
Any visitor hub, parking, or any play areas will be placed as far as possible from sensitive wildlife areas to reduce noise, light and disturbance. We might also suggest that any facilities are only open during daylight hours to minimise impact.
Environmental studies are ongoing, and if any negative effects are found, we’ll take steps to reduce them - and, if necessary, provide ecological compensation to limit any lasting impact.
How will you avoid anti-social behaviour and safety issues at the reservoir?
Having more people on-site - staff and visitors - will help keep an eye on things and discourage anti-social behaviour. We’re also looking at adding special gates on bridleways to stop motorcycles, security fencing around operational buildings and safety equipment in case of accidents from unauthorised swimming.
A site management plan will be developed to confirm roles and responsibilities for the management and maintenance of the site and will include additional measures to discourage anti-social behaviour.
Will Broad Oak Water create job opportunities for local people?
The reservoir project will boost the local economy during construction and in the long term. Building the reservoir and any potential visitor centre should encourage sustainable tourism and create quality jobs. Local construction firms and suppliers could benefit, along with businesses seeing more spending from workers.
Once open, the site will create a few permanent jobs and attract visitors, helping local businesses. We will undertake further work to confirm job opportunities and economic benefits.
