Office workers fear for pond wildlife as burn dries up
Mystery as stream feeding business village marshland habitat vanishes
Published:
Nature lovers working in an Inverness business village are growing concerned that an environmental catastrophe is unfolding on their doorstep.
Stoneyfield Business Park on the eastern outskirts of the city, just off the A96, is fortunate to have a sizeable duck-pond and marshland habitat fed by the Dell Burn that normally flows from the Inshes area, culverted under the A9 dual carriageway, before crossing the Inverness to Perth railway line on a metal aquaduct.
About eight weeks ago, the burn slowly dried to a trickle, and now it has disappeared altogether, and the pond is fast shrinking to a mud-hole.
Rabbits are now able to scamper across bare mud that was once covered by water.
The pond, a legacy from when neighbouring Stoneyfield House was the big house of the local estate, is home to about 15 pairs of ducks, as well as waterhens, coots and the occasional heron that feed on eels, toads and frog.
Many of the fowl are at present trying to rear their chicks in the shrinking habitat.
But now a wrangle is going on over who or what is responsible for the burn running dry, and who should rectify the situation.
The business park managers Burns and Partners, chartered surveyors, began probing, and took up the matter with both Highland Council and trunk road maintenance company Scotland TranServ.
At first it was thought these agencies were responsible by installing flood prevention works on the A9 that would channel any overflow from the burn away from the road in very wet weather.
But, after two days of investigation, both the council and TranServ say the problem is not down to them.
TranServ’s John McFadzean said: “At first we thought that something had happened underground and the burn had been diverted to the flood overflow.
“But, on inspection, it looks as if the burn has simply silted up, and the view of the Highland Council was that the landowners would be responsible for rectifying this.
“It would take about a day’s work with a machine. “We cleared the burn as best we could at the A9, but it is still blocked on the course to Stoneyfield. The council would only take responsibility if it was a flooding issue, apparently.”
Burns and Partners are still investigating and did not want to comment.
Stoneyfield-based architect Gary Johnston said that builders Tullochs, who have office in Stoneyfield House, are responsible for the pond, but the Dell Burn flowed over land belonging to other people.”
SNH said they would only become involved if it was protected habitat that was involved.
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