Water park will have 'no impact' on wildlife

Aqua Park say the water park will have "no impact to the local wildlife"

The owners of a water park company who plan to open in a country park have said it will have "no impact to the local wildlife".

Aqua Park is set to open the water park at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, near Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan on 5 July.

But residents have raised concerns about water quality and the impact it will have on the local wildlife.

The country park opened to the public in 1978 and has been an official nature reserve since 2013.

The park is a haven for local wildlife and some areas have been designated a site of special scientific interest (SSSI).

The attraction has been based in Cardiff Bay for the last five years and includes an inflatable assault course with slides and climbing frames.

Earlier this year, the owners said it was unable to operate in the area due to poor water quality.

Cardiff Harbour Authority said water quality in Cardiff Bay was "routinely" checked, but increased rainfall and higher river flows in recent summers had increased the number of failed tests.

Lucy Mott from Aqua Park Group said they have worked with local ecologists who have said the firm was able to operate with no impact to the local wildlife, including the water voles and nesting birds.

"That's because we're operating on the eastern lake which is already deemed safe for leisure activities and is already a vibrant hub of activity with regular park runs.

"On a lovely day like today there are dogs running into the lake going swimming, there's lots of activity already going on on the site," she said.

Lucy Mott from Aqua Park Group say they have worked with local ecologists to determine if they can operate at the country park

There has been local opposition with an online petition opposing the Aqua Park gaining over four thousand signatures.

Saar Williams, from Barry, is part of an action group opposing the attraction and believed the plans had not been "thought through".

"We feel Cosmeston is a natural reservoir, it has different species living here, like voles which are on the endangered species list and of course all the other creatures.

"The biggest problem for wildlife in the UK at the moment is habitat loss.

Certain species have been released into Cosmeston to counteract that loss of habitat, and I feel like an aquapark is going to bring disruption for those species that thrive here, in and around the lakes," she said.

The Vale of Glamorgan Council described it as an opportunity for the council to generate income for improving the park's facilities.

Council Leader Lis Burnett said that the council had made sure that everything had been checked, including gaining permission from Natural Resources Wales.

"We know that the environment here is hugely important. So if we thought that there was going to be any impact on that we wouldn't have gone ahead.

"People talk about the water voles that are here, they are in a different part of the park," she said.

Additional reporting from Jessica Johnson