The Mill Pond is back to its best!

Published: Thursday, 26th October 2023

The historic Mill Pond in Sevenoaks has undergone major improvements and is now open to the public once again.

Mill Pond, on the junction of Seal Road and Mill Lane in Sevenoaks, is home to waterfowl, amphibians, insects and reptiles, and is much loved by local people.

Over the years it has become silted, impacting its appearance and ability to support a wide variety of wildlife.

Mill Pond is fed by nearby springs and storm water from highway drains. Silt from the roads and nearby building projects had, over time, built up in the pond. Oil and other pollutants from the roads washed into the pond and in 2021, the Pond suffered contamination from a Thames Water culvert.

In recent years, the Greatness Residents’ Association secured funding to transform the pond into a nature reserve. This included new silt traps, nature friendly plants and benches. To support with the Association’s ambitions, Sevenoaks District Council started work on £60,000 of improvements in March 2023.

Specialist contractors were brought in to desilt the pond and additional wildlife friendly greenery was planted.

The rotten wooden boardwalk was replaced with a new, accessible cinder concrete path and wooden railings, allowing better access so that the pond can be maintained going forward.

Cllr Margot McArthur, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Cleaner and Greener, says: “Thanks to the work of Greatness Residents’ Association and the Council, Mill Pond has been completely transformed. The improvements include reducing the steep bank by the pond and putting in a new lower gradient path making the site accessible to people with prams and in wheelchairs. In the coming months and years, we expect the Mill Pond to flourish once again for both nature and residents.”