[doganjo]

thanks for the reply barry.

the land is just a big garden so not agricultural land, also it is part of my garden not a seperate field.

I was going to do the pond with margins and bays at about 2 feet and plant lillies and reeds, then do a deeper section around 4ft to try and contain the plants to the 2ft deep bit. Possibly an island and a deeper hole about 6ft. There will be a fair bit of water, will it really evaporate that fast?

I got a digger chap to dig out a huge hole when laying the driveway - about 3 metres across - it started to fill as he was digging and he said I wouldn't need a liner - been absolutely right - never goes below the ground water level, even in the height of the summer - it is about 1.5 metres in the middle metre or so, and about half a metre graduating to the edge all round, he made a bank at one side for shallow water plants.  It has been useful with all the rain we've had acting like a sink.  Ducks will be back out in it as soon as my son has built up the pallet fence to keep the dogs separate in the top half of the garden.  They'll love it!    My digger put the spoil round the side a metre away from the edge to create a bank for plants, about a foot and a half high - I've got some shrubs and bulb/corm type plants but also lots of wild flowers, and the pond has lots of wildlife in it.  The only problem I've got is blanket weed - I pull that out with a  metal rake and leave it to dry on top of any weeds I don't want and the hens enjoy snacking on it.  It's lovely to sit out there on my wooden seat with a book in summer.