Newton Lane, Whiteparish

The site is currently managed as an intensively grazed equestrian facility directly abutting the New Forest National Park, lying in a quiet shallow valley dissected by the small sinuate headwaters of the River Test. The River Test meets the sea in Southampton Water, a component part of the Solent which is internationally recognised for its flora and fauna. Adjacent to the site is a Waste Water Treatment Works which serves the local village which discharges into the stream. Years of agricultural intensification and urban expansion within the Solent region has caused excessive nutrients to enter the Solent designated sites. This excessive nutrient input has caused large mats of algae to form every year which smother the special habitats which the Solent is so highly regarded for.

The proposal is to create a wetland which diverts the exiting final treated effluent flow from the adjacent treatment works and further purify the water before discharging it into the stream. The wetland will have landscaped bunded sides but will sit low in the shallow valley between the existing headwaters. Reeds will dominate the vegetation within the wetland with areas of open water and species rich wetland edge communities. The scheme will create opportunities for new species to move in such as Reed Buntings and Sedge Warblers. The scheme will measurably reduce the amount of nutrients, micro plastics and other artificial chemicals entering the Solent.