Plans for new pond scrape in waterlogged field at Holme

Timothy Garden Design has applied to dig the 60m by 20m feature in a low-lying corner of a field north of the A149 coast road at Holme, near Hunstanton.

It says in a planning statement the field has been saturated for months after heavy rainfall, with gases bubbling through surface water.

It adds: "The proposed work intends to consider the introduction of some priority wildlife habitat, returning the soils to better health leading to a more biodiverse sward that can in turn be harvested for hay.

"This is not a puddle or garden pond but is intended to be a feature that visually belongs. Looking at the maps from the 1800s, we see many of the small meadows and fields around Holme had a scrape or pond."

A view across the downs towards Holme (Image: Chris Bishop)

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Up to 17 ponds are shown dotted around the village on 19th century maps. 

Elsewhere Norfolk has around 23,000 surviving ponds, more than any other English county, according to the Norfolk Wildlife Trust.

It says the majority of ponds are man-made features dug in the 17th to 19th centuries, for marl, clay or as watering holes for livestock.

They also include ancient "pingos" formed by depressions caused by the weight of ice formed towards the end of the last great ice age.

The new scrape at Holme, which will be up to 2m-deep, will drain water from the field allowing "species-rich grassland" to thrive beside it.

It will also prevent excess water from overflowing from the field onto Beach Road, which borders the site.

All provide essential habitat for thousands of species, supporting the survival of aquatic plants, invertebrates, amphibians, dragonflies, damselflies and mammals.