Worrying situation at Redmire

[JPC]

Some of the fields on the estate are actually owned by the farm manager, which ones I'm afraid I don't know. When the owners took over the estate in the mid seventies they auctioned off several of the fields to help pay for the estates upkeep (the old house was in a state of disrepair and needed money spent on it) the estates farm manger bought all the fields that were in the auction. This being the case I would suggest that if the farmer owns some or all the fields surrounding the Pool he could block any plans which involved his land.
The sale is on hold until next May I believe, plus I would agree with Shaun comments on spending. They have never spent a penny on the Pool in the past why would they now if they are going to sell it. The speculation that grants could be obtained to help with the renovation of the Pool are nonsense, it is a commercial fishery and known as such.

[Shaun Harrison]

Through talking to a few and the way I understand it is that the sale has been put on hold whilst family members are given the chance to raise money to buy the estate and keep the estate within the family.

I really can't see any money being spent on the pool. The current owners are wanting shut and those trying to raise the money to buy the estate are doing just that. The money is obviously not readily there so there is no way that I can see they would prioritize spending on the pools which come into insignificance in the grand scheme of an estate with buildings. I would imagine as a last resort if the money isn't raised they would opt for buying as much property as they could secure and selling part of the land - the pools.

Just me thinking out loud.

Any idea as to the number of acres involved Shaun? The house and grounds including the pools? And the surrounding farmland?
Best regards
Mem

I'm lead to believe 100 acre with woods, pools, outbuildings, barns, 2 cottages and of course the manor house.

[StalkingLuke]

Such is the passion for the pool I'm sure that whoever does eventually take ownership, could easily launch a crowd funding campaign to raise the necessary funds to get everything ship shape again. Perhaps offering perks such as first dibs at tickets etc. I for one would also happily offer up some of my time to assist in the necessary works as I'm sure many others would. If the desire is really there, it's all doable.

[Shaun Harrison]

In the ideal world possibly, but sadly we don't live in that.

If I paid the £4,000,000.00 for it, I wouldn't particularly want anyone on my land. Once you are talking those figures, the income generated by the commercial fishery they have is peanuts really once you have paid for a full time bailiff/keeper and equipment upkeep. there is not a lot left for rainy days.

The current owners have not invested in the pool so nothing is to say the next ones would.

[Beresford]

I agree – I suspect anybody spending £4M on a property may very well want to keep it entirely private.

How did the 'goldfish' get into the pool – who introduced them?

[Skeff]

I have been asked to provide an update on behalf of the Redmire management team on the condition of Redmire and plans for its restoration.

The family have become good friends during the two years in which I have worked closely with them, to address the long-term environmental issues Redmire faces and the management of the wider rural estate at Bernithan. The owners and management of Redmire understand fully the historical and cultural importance of the pool and its fish stocks. They have the long-term interests of Redmire at the heart of everything they have been doing to restore the pool and protect it for future generations to enjoy.

The problems Redmire faces are not straightforward to resolve, either in terms of the ecological challenges the pool faces, the wider environmental impacts affecting Redmire or the financial challenges of protecting and restoring the fishery. A well-planned restoration is in hand, informed by professional expertise and work continues towards the implementation of this plan.

The family are working closely with individuals and organisations that have genuine expertise and decades of experience in catchment management, conservation, agriculture, estate management and fisheries management.


The sale of Bernithan Court:



There are currently no plans to sell the Bernithan Estate. This has been considered in the recent past but the estate is not on the market and there are no plans for this situation to change, at this time.


Income from the Redmire fishery: 



I will not comment on matters of private detail but Redmire is only one feature of the Bernithan Estate. In more than fifteen years of professional estate management with the National Trust (I ended my Trust career as Head of Rural Surveying for the charity), I have worked with many small rural estates. A common feature of almost every one of them, is that they operate at a loss. This is particularly true where the estate assets include a set of high quality Listed buildings that have to be maintained, such as the Grade 2* Queen Anne house at Bernithan.

Part of the restoration project at Bernithan that has been implemented already is to tailor the wider estate management to focus on nature conservation and the delivery of environmental protection for the Wye and Garron catchments from farming practices upstream of the estate.


Restoration costs:



The detailed implementation plan for the restoration project has not been agreed at this time and the potential costs vary considerably depending upon the detailed operational approach taken to the de-silting of the pool. 

De-silting Redmire, whilst protecting its stock of Leney carp during this work is far from straightforward. What is clear is that the full restoration of Redmire will require a substantial capital expenditure.


Environmental impacts:



The greatest impact on Redmire is the change in agricultural management in the catchment upstream of the pool. Redmire is essentially a sump in the landscape for all of the agricultural silt and nutrient run-off generated in the catchment upstream. None of the farmland generating the silt and nutrient run-off affecting Redmire is in the ownership of the Bernithan Estate. 

The Restoration Project at Redmire includes engagement with neighbouring farmers, 
The Environment Agency and Natural England, to remove and/or mitigate the problems associated with agricultural run-off as far as possible, to protect the lake in the long-term. Enforcement action to prevent diffuse agricultural pollution of this nature is notoriously difficult, if indeed any breach of current regulation has occurred and could be proven.



The main emphasis of the work to date, has been to develop a good relationship with neighbouring landowners, so that everyone concerned can work in partnership to mitigate the problems affecting the lake. 

The land around Redmire that is in the ownership of the Bernithan Estate is to be used to intercept and address the silt and nutrient run-off before it enters Redmire itself.



Silt:



The silt in Redmire does need to be removed and this work is included in the restoration plan. 

The silt in Redmire is primarily composed of inorganic soil from the surrounding farmland. In fact it is almost entirely composed of sand. Leaf-fall and weed decomposition are of minor importance relative to the build up of inorganic silt.

The nature of the silt in Redmire means that the only practical means of de-silting the pool is to drain the pool and use excavators or to pump the silt out. Neither of these solutions is straightforward and both solutions require careful planning and a detailed implementation plan.


Fish stocks:



The problems associated with the inadvertent release of ghost carp into Redmire in the past are recognised and a plan for the removal of any ghost carp and their offspring is included in the restoration plans. There is a long-standing policy in place to remove any ghost carp caught by anglers.

The removal of any carp that may be carrying ghost carp genes and the restoration of the genetic integrity of the Redmire stock is dependent upon removing all carp from the pool, irrespective of size, that have been spawned in the water since the ghost carp were introduced. 

Fortunately, there are excellent photographic records of the Redmire carp going back over many years. If a precautionary approach is taken to ensure that only carp present in Redmire before the introduction of ghost carp are returned to the pool after the de-silting works are completed, the integrity of the Redmire stock can be restored.


The future management of Redmire:



There are no plans to change the way in which the Redmire fishery is managed. The owners of Redmire have access to the professional fishery management expertise they require.




[Mark]

Thank you for putting the record straight Skeff.

[Nigel Rainton]

Excellent :-)

[Keston]

Thank you for taking the time to clarify things Mr Skeff

[Bobthefloat]

Thanks skeff