An Aberdeen man has accused the council of “decimating” an Aberdeen park and turning it into a “desert” while trying to make a wetlands.
Last month, the £90,000 Seaton Park wetlands was officially opened.
The project, which was run with Friends of Seaton Park, involved landscaping of the existing flooded area to create some small deeper pools and produce shallow slopes.
At the start of summer it appeared an oasis for wildlife with ducks and swans a common sight for visitors.
The manmade wetland with natural plants and a wooden viewing point was added to attract more wildlife and greater community use.
But Alex Wilson, who regularly visits the park, claims the area has now dried out too – resulting in animal deaths.
He said: “They have just stopped cultivating it and over the last three or four months it has got worse and worse.
“What used to be the Seaton pond is now the Seaton puddle, I have seen a number of dead ducks in what are supposed to be the wet lands.
“It’s so dry that people’s dogs are able to run right onto them and kill animals.
“The main priority has to be to protect these creatures from any further harm, it seems the project wasn’t well planned.
“The council have decimated this area, they have been nothing short of criminally negligent in their handling of this.”
Last night a council spokeswoman downplayed the claims and said a wet winter should bring back the wildlife.
She said: “The work to create the Seaton Wetlands Project included digging a few individual deeper pools below the ground.
“Once these pools were dug, the water which had previously been lying on top of the ground filled the individual holes.
“The water levels were expected to drop as a result of the construction works and this has been more apparent during the drier summer months when lying water will naturally evaporate. As we approach winter, we expect the colder weather to result in a gradual refilling of the wetland area.
“It should be remembered the project was creating wetlands, and not a pond, so the water level is expected to fluctuate depending on the time of year.”
