Lough Bracken, Co Meath

Lough Bracken is a small lake in the north of Co. Meath. The lake is a locally popular for a range of amenity activities including fishing, walking, swimming and bird watching. The lake also acts as a water source for the local village of Drumconrath.

Over the past two decades the lake and its shoreline have been severely impacted by erosion, tree harvesting, poaching by livestock and amenity pressures. This has resulted in diminished water quality; leading to difficulties in water treatment, impacts to fish stocks and an overall reduction in amenity value.

Flynn Furney Environmental Consultants were contracted by Meath Partnership to create a masterplan for the sensitive restoration and development of Lough Bracken as a community resource and to determine to the fullest extent the recreational and leisure activity possible for the site. This masterplan drew out a range of site amenities including walking trails, child-safe swimming areas, bird hides and orchards. The masterplan also highlighted ecological pressure points and areas for biodiversity enhancement. Through an integrated approach, this masterplan delivered a strategy for improving water quality, site amenity value and increasing the diversity and quality of the lake’s surrounding habitats.