Two much-loved Cardiff reservoirs are finally to fully reopen to the public for the first time in 20 years after being restored by Welsh Water. Llanishen and Lisvane reservoirs are full again after being drained during a long-running planning battle over proposals to build hundreds of homes on the site.
Welsh Water, which bought the site in 2016 to safeguard it for the future, said it plans to open its new visitor centre at the reservoirs in the coming weeks. The visitor centre will again allow people to take part in a range of water sport activities at the site.
Llanishen reservoir, in the north of Cardiff, was once a popular sailing, fishing and walking spot. Olympic sailor Hannah Mills was one of the many people who first learned to sail at the site. However the site was fenced off and ultimately drained by American-owned power giant Western Power Distribution as it repeatedly tried and failed to get planning permission for 300 homes at the site.
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The local Reservoir Action Group (Rag) fought the plans for more than a decade through repeated planning applications and a public inquiry. The long-term future of the site was only finally secured in 2016 when Welsh Water acquired a 999 year lease for the reservoirs from steel firm Celsa, which had bought it two years earlier from Western Power Distribution, which is owned by US firm Pennsylvania Power and Light.
It has taken seven years for Welsh Water to be in a position to formally reopen the reservoirs as a visitor attraction. Welsh Water said the aim had been to create a hub for recreation, health and wellbeing as well as an area for people to reconnect with water and the environment. The site is set to open in the summer of this year, as the site's brand new visitor centre is near completion, which will feature a café with views of the reservoirs and a range of water sport activities.
Since taking over the site, Welsh Water has carried out work to restore the reservoirs including,
- vegetation clearance within both reservoirs
- repairing the stone pitching on the inside of the dam wall at Llanishen reservoir
- repairing and replacing valves and pipes needed to operate the reservoirs safely
- reinstating the perimeter fence
- draining Llanishen reservoir to fully inspect it before allowing it to safely refill
- introducing a new mowing regime for the reservoir embankments, which has enhanced the grassland for the waxcap fungi
In January 2022, work began on the two-storey hub, however they admitted facing set backs due to challenges with the supply of materials, causing delay in their original opening date in May. The site is now due to open in summer 2023, with the official date yet to be confirmed.
During National Volunteer Week 2023, the first week of June, volunteers from Friends of Cardiff Reservoirs contributed in getting the site ready to welcome visitors. Peter Fullerton, Deputy Chair of FoCR said: "I’m really looking forward to the reservoirs and new visitor centre opening to the public, presenting a wider range of things for me and all the other volunteers to get involved with.”
Michelle Impanni, Volunteering Manager at Welsh Water said: "We are extremely grateful for the support of our dedicated team of volunteers who come to help us each week at Lisvane and Llanishen Reservoirs, come rain or shine. When the site opens this summer, the results of their hard work will be enjoyed by visitors of all generations from Cardiff and beyond."
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