The Kings Pond Community and Stakeholder Focus Group will meet at the Alton Assembly Rooms on September 2 at 6pm.

Alton Town Council is investigating two options for the future of Kings Pond - dredging, or separating it from the River Wey.

A town council spokesperson said: “Kings Pond is silting up and is very shallow in places. If we do nothing it will fill with silt, mud and encroaching vegetation. The pond was last dredged in 1996.

“Option one is dredging, plus bank restoration and biodiversity improvements. Option two is reinstating the River Wey through the site, alongside a smaller restored pond with varied habitats and improved biodiversity.

“The second option is being considered because silting is a continuous process. Although some work can be done upstream to reduce the amount of silt, eventually the pond would need expensive and disruptive dredging again.

“Also the pond has a negative impact on the River Wey. Downstream water quality is affected - the outlet weir and dam block the normal life and functions of the river.”

The project is at stage one - a pre-planning application consultation on both options with East Hampshire District Council planners and the Environment Agency; engineering and landscape design, specification of both options, and ecological strategies for both options to create or improve habitats and improve biodiversity, all to sufficient detail for costing and presentation to residents; a pond and river flood risk assessment; and public consultation and selection of the preferred option.

The Kings Pond Task and Finish Group aims to recommend a stage one design contractor to full council on September 3, and if the contractor is approved design work would start in late September. Public consultation on outline designs, and options costing, is scheduled for January and February 2026.

Everybody is welcome on September 2. For more information visit www.alton.gov.uk/kings-pond-project