Grid Ref: SK956707 

Status:     Site of Nature Conservation Importance (Lincolnshire Trust)

Swanpool is a 6ha site consisting of willow scrub, mature trees and wetland.   The site has been designated as Critical Natural Asset for the following reasons:

1) The site contains almost 5ha of Phragmites bed, the largest area of continuous reedbed in Lincoln, and approx. 68% of Lincoln's reedbed resource. Furthermore the site is one of 13 wetland sites in Lincoln accounting for 7% of the City's wetland resource. There are small pockets of grassland (total area too small to assess).

2) The site supports a number of uncommon species in the Lincoln area, including:

Creeping jenny   Lysimachia nummularia(3 sites in Lincoln)   

Marsh bedstraw  Galium palustre  (6 sites in Lincoln)     

Water rail Raillus aquaticus     (3 sites in Lincoln)           

Reed warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus   (3 sites in Lincoln)

The latter occurs in extremely high numbers here, possibly as high as 50 pairs, by some considerable degree the largest population in the Lincoln area.

3) The site is an important component of a complex of wetland sites, including Boultham Mere and Catchwater Drain, and may be important as an overflow site particularly for passerines during passage migration.

4) The site is part of the West Lincoln Green Wedge, a complex of interlinked and important wildlife sites.

Landscape Value

Visually important complex of woodland and water, the latter degraded by past landfill. It is planned to rehabilitate the Pool which together with the surrounding woodland will form a key element of the proposed West Lincoln Green Wedge which will be safeguarded as a linear feature linking Swanholme Lakes and Hartsholme Country Park with Boultham Mere and the West Common.