07 Feb 2025
Years in the pipeline, major improvements to Verulamium Park have finally been given the green light – but what has changed in the interim?
Budget-strapped SADC has rowed back on its original proposals to return the Ver to its original path as it flows through the Bell Meadow flood plain.
The scheme would have cost between £4-6m, which was well beyond the council’s resources, although it is still likely to cost a seven-figure sum.
Instead, as part of proposals agreed by the council’s public realm committee, the project will see new wetlands, nature walks and plant beds to enhance the water quality of the lakes and improve biodiversity. The heavily silted lakes will be dredged with the silt recycled to provide highly fertile planting areas around the edges, and a wetland created in Bell Meadow with a permanent raised footpath.
Cllr Helen Campbell, chair of the public realm committee, said: “This has been a complex and challenging task, not least because of the financial constraints upon our budget, but with this plan in place I know our residents will be delighted to hear that we are making substantial progress.
“We have now agreed on an imaginative and realistic option and can move forward, finalise detailed plans, gain the necessary permissions and put the work out to tender to see if it is within our budget.”
She said the goal was to transform the fenced-off floodplain at the St Michael’s entrance to the park by making sustainable improvements: “I know our residents are keen to see this area of the park improved, but I would warn this is a long-term project and it will be a few years before it is completed.”
John Pritchard, chair of the Ver Valley Society, said: “The scheme strikes a good balance between revitalising a much-loved civic amenity and improving the River Ver through Verulamium Park. It would have been fantastic if even more could have been done for the river, but we recognise that the council’s budget will only go so far.
“The Ver Valley Society looks forward to the completed scheme and being able to contribute volunteer time to keep the river and wetland areas in good ecological shape for years to come.”
Dr Robert Wareing, a long-term user of Verulamium Park who wrote a series on its history in the St Albans Times, said the attraction faced significant challenges.
“The need for improvement is overwhelming and St Albans is on the threshold of implementing ambitious and wide-ranging multi-million pound plans for revitalising the River Ver and the lake, and thus Verulamium Park.
“But will these plans be a bright new sunrise or a yet another false dawn? Because over the years a number of plans have come and gone – and yet fundamental chronic problems remain unresolved.
“It’s an awful shame that, in the latest version of the plans, restoring the River Ver to its natural chalk-stream state and re-routing it to its natural course along the foot of the valley within the park has fallen victim to the financial axe.
“In my view, that single crucial feature – reconnecting with nature – would, alone, make the whole project viable and sustainable ad infinitum (especially when linked to a number of other cleverly interrelated environmental measures).
“That’s not to say the proposals are not welcome. It’s just that they fail to go the final furlong. AND a fundamentally essential key natural component is now missing. History may show this is a critical opportunity lost.
“One statement in the press release announcing the revised plans also causes me profound concern: The next stage will be commissioning detailed designs and putting the work out to tender to see if it is indeed affordable. I am beginning to think ‘Here we go again … yet another false dawn?’
“Given the current 102-acre Verulamium Park and Lake was conceived and financed in the most difficult economic circumstances in the lead up to the Great Depression, from
1927 to 1930, by a far-sighted and ambitious council, I find it difficult to believe the current administration, working with its various partners, cannot be equally innovative in fund-raising.
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to create a park, lake and River Ver that people can enjoy and be proud of for years to come. So, fingers crossed, here’s wishing good luck and every success to this ambitious project. Let’s hope it finally comes to fruition in full.
“It should be remembered, just as the Abbey is the jewel in the crown of St Albans, so Verulamium Park forms the emerald in that same crown … and it is the lake – both the large and small – that adds a special sapphire sparkle to this gem.”
The planned work is separate from the multi-agency project to Revitalise the River Ver as the rare chalk stream flows between Ye Olde Fighting Cocks to Cottonmill allotments.
