A CAMPAIGNER’S application to protect an ancient five-acre lake from a housing development has been turned down.

David Fisk raised £2,000 to fast-track the application to get the Brantham Decoy Pond listed as a protected monument in the National Heritage list.

In the application, concerns were raised as run-off water from a 288-home development could contaminate the lake.

But the review team of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has turned down the application due to “insufficient national importance”.

Mr Fisk said: “My sincere thanks to all who supported my endeavours and I’m sorry I failed in the attempt.

“This leaves the developers free to use the pond as a drain for surface water polluted with road salt and other contaminates, which will in time, destroy all forms of life in the pond.

“I did my best and I can’t take it any further, but what I can do now is to concentrate on the legal side and count on laws to stop them of using the pond as drainage.”

He added the housing development near the lake is for many reasons “absolutely ridiculous”.

He said: “I’m extremely concerned of what is going to happen in the winter, when all roads and drives will be covered with salt.

“The rain water will carry the salt into the pond, which will dehydrate and kill all fish.

“What is more, people use all sort of chemicals, fertilisers, dump oil and diesel into drains which will end up in the pond.”

A Historic England spokesman said: “The Decoy Pond in Brantham does not meet the high bar for scheduling.

“Created to lure and trap wildfowl for food and feathers, the decoy pond has local interest for its contribution to our understanding of animal management in the agricultural landscape and we recognise the strength of local feeling for the site.

“However, decoy ponds are relatively common and this example does not display the level of survival or archaeological potential to merit scheduling in a national context.”

A Taylor Wimpey spokesman said: “We understand the concerns of residents and would like to reassure them that we have been working closely with the Lead Local Flood Authority to agree an appropriate drainage strategy for the development.

“The proposed strategy was submitted as part of our planning application and was approved in June 2019.”