Watermead, Buckinghamshire
Encyclopedia
Watermead is a housing estate, situated less than half a mile north of Aylesbury
in Buckinghamshire
, England
, however, the spine road entrance is situated within Aylesbury. It is also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale
district. It is a very popular place to live for young couples and city executives.
Plans for the village of Watermead were first drawn up in the 1980s. The idea was to create a self contained executive village that would bring new sports facilities and a better quality of housing to the town.
The village is built on green belt
land. At the planning stage the designers were required to pay heed to the ecology
of the local area to help protect the environment. Central to the plans therefore was an extensive lake that would become a haven for wildlife
and many wild birds.
The water table
in the Vale of Aylesbury is higher than the average in England, on account of extensive water reserves that are stored below the clay
bed of the whole vale. The designers of the village took this into account by creating a lake in the centre to allow for rise in water levels. Construction went underway and the first houses were ready for sale in 1986
On the opposite side of the lake from the village was an artificial ski slope. Control over the local water table with flood defences installed and diversions for the River Thame
to flood planes on specially dug lakes. The village has grown extensively and has a very active parish council. The ski slope, however, stands disused by the side of the main road leading into the village.
Watermead was voted one of the top housing developments of its type in the country in the early 1990s and won awards for its design and original ideas. The lake is now stocked with many varieties of wildlife and even has a rare breed of bird
nesting around the wooded areas at the shores of the lake.
The original Royco theme was to have blocks of individual homes that made walking through each road (each named after a breed of bird) interesting, although this is something that has been lost since newer building designs were erected around Watermead, but predominantly the existing original Royco village still greets you as you enter over the bridge and across the lake from the approach road.
People consider Watermead to have two lakes, the big and the little one, but in fact it only has one, which runs under the main road.
Aylesbury
Aylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire in South East England. However the town also falls into a geographical region known as the South Midlands an area that ecompasses the north of the South East, and the southern extremities of the East Midlands...
in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, however, the spine road entrance is situated within Aylesbury. It is also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale
Aylesbury Vale
The Aylesbury Vale is a large area of flat land mostly in Buckinghamshire, England. Its boundary is marked by Milton Keynes to the north, Leighton Buzzard and the Chiltern Hills to the east and south, Thame to the south and Bicester and Brackley to the west.The vale is named after Aylesbury, the...
district. It is a very popular place to live for young couples and city executives.
Plans for the village of Watermead were first drawn up in the 1980s. The idea was to create a self contained executive village that would bring new sports facilities and a better quality of housing to the town.
The village is built on green belt
Green belt
A green belt or greenbelt is a policy and land use designation used in land use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighbouring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges which have a linear character and may run through an...
land. At the planning stage the designers were required to pay heed to the ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
of the local area to help protect the environment. Central to the plans therefore was an extensive lake that would become a haven for wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
and many wild birds.
The water table
Water table
The water table is the level at which the submarine pressure is far from atmospheric pressure. It may be conveniently visualized as the 'surface' of the subsurface materials that are saturated with groundwater in a given vicinity. However, saturated conditions may extend above the water table as...
in the Vale of Aylesbury is higher than the average in England, on account of extensive water reserves that are stored below the clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
bed of the whole vale. The designers of the village took this into account by creating a lake in the centre to allow for rise in water levels. Construction went underway and the first houses were ready for sale in 1986
On the opposite side of the lake from the village was an artificial ski slope. Control over the local water table with flood defences installed and diversions for the River Thame
River Thame
The River Thame is a river in Southern England. It is a tributary of the larger and better-known River Thames.The general course of the River Thame is north-east to south-west and the distance from its source to the River Thames is about 40 miles...
to flood planes on specially dug lakes. The village has grown extensively and has a very active parish council. The ski slope, however, stands disused by the side of the main road leading into the village.
Watermead was voted one of the top housing developments of its type in the country in the early 1990s and won awards for its design and original ideas. The lake is now stocked with many varieties of wildlife and even has a rare breed of bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
nesting around the wooded areas at the shores of the lake.
The original Royco theme was to have blocks of individual homes that made walking through each road (each named after a breed of bird) interesting, although this is something that has been lost since newer building designs were erected around Watermead, but predominantly the existing original Royco village still greets you as you enter over the bridge and across the lake from the approach road.
People consider Watermead to have two lakes, the big and the little one, but in fact it only has one, which runs under the main road.