SAY NO to wakeboarding at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park

Please tell Vale of Glamorgan planning committee of the VoG council to reject the proposal for wake-boarding at the tranquil Cosmestson Lakes Country Park and nature reserve. The VoG council owns the park.  You can send your objection to the planning committee by email to developmentcontrol@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk                            

What is wakeboarding?                                  The sport of riding on a short, wide board resembling a surfboard and performing acrobatic manoeuvres while being pulled by a pulley on a raised wire.                                           

The proposal requires installation of an electric cable wakeboarding system equipment and a mechanical store, new male changing facilities + a Wake Park Reception; conversion of park’s store room for a female changing area at Cosmeston visitor centre.” It includes a 6 square metre shipping container behind the southern pylon to house the power supply and controlling equipment for the wakeboarding cable system, floating features to be tethered in position with anchors lines to the lake floor, a pontoon and trees may be felled.  The peace and tranquility of Cosmeston country park would be seriously disturbed by commercial cable-wakeboarding where wakeboarders are towed by a wire steer around obstacles. 

Object to the visual impact of ugly 'tower-supports for the towing wires, also noise from wakeboards hitting the water and from the PA system. This will be worse during the competitions as scheduled. The Council claim of environment-friendly is false, when such noisy water activity will scare off many if not all the visiting and resident birds.                         

 Danger to wildlife 

The lake has a resident population of up to 60 Mute Swans. some of which nest, occasionally a similar number of Canada Geese, 100's of Gulls and Coot, other wildfowl from autumn through to spring, birds such as Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Reed Bunting which nest in the reed bed and would doubtless be disturbed by the wakeboards' wash. 

Cosmeston Lakes has 25.6ha designated as a SSSI to protect a rare plant called Starry stonewort (Nitellopsis obtuse).  Cosmeston country park and nature reserve is a success story and loved by the community. Please scrap the whole idea of wake-boarding at Cosmeston.          

 For more information contact Anne or Max Womensvoice@gmail.com

VoG website http://vogonline.planning-register.co.uk/PlaRecord.aspx?AppNo=2017/00315/FUL