The Kings Pond public consultation results have been revealed by Alton Town Council.

They will be discussed, at a venue to be confirmed, during a full council meeting on January 18 at 7pm.

In its Kings Pond Draft Management Plan, fisheries specialist Aquamaintain recommended separating the pond from the River Wey to improve the water quality of the river.

But opponents of the scheme saw that as the death knell for the pond, which has existed for more than 200 years and is home to a variety of birds, fearing it would eventually dry up without being fed by the river.

The public consultation ended on November 27 and the results were published on the council website on December 22. It attracted responses from 341 people, 95 per cent of whom live within the GU34 postcode area.

Some 47 per cent of those who responded were aged over 65, with just nine per cent under 35.

In response to the question about the draft plan’s proposed “primary action” – cutting off the pond from the river – 53 per cent were in favour and 47 per cent against.

If this option was not supported or proved unfeasible, people were asked to say what they felt was the most important of five other actions. A total of 53 per cent said dredging the pond to remove the silt was the priority.

Some 234 respondents took advantage of the option to add additional comments having answered the survey questions.

To view the full results visit http://www.alton.gov.uk/Kings_Pond_6330.aspx