WATERSPORTS fans will be able to wakeboard and swim outdoors after plans to transform a Basildon lake were approved.

Sports firm JVP Leisure has been given the green light to turn Aquatels lake behind Festival Leisure Park, off Cranes Farm Road, in Basildon, into a haven for thrillseekers.

Wakeboarders will be pulled around the lake on cables suspended from seven pylons and the waters will be set aside for swimming and fishing at specific times.

Kitesurfer Jonathan Myers-Lamptey, 32, is looking forward to trying out the new course once it has been built.

He said the wakeboarding lake will encourage new people to take up the sport and offers local watersports fans an alternative to surfing off Southend’s popular beaches.

Mr Myers-Lamptey, who grew up in Westcliff and kite-surfs at Shoebury's East Beach most weekends, said: “Wakeboarding is a good introduction to surfing and other watersports because you’re pulled round in a circle on a pully, so it’s more controlled than going out in the sea.

“It’s also more practical, because you don’t have to walk out to the sea. It sometimes takes me 45 minutes to walk across the sandbanks with my kitesurfing gear and you don’t have to battle against the elements like you do on the beach.

“Southend’s really popular for surfing. There were 75 kite-surfers out on East Beach one weekend this summer, but there isn’t much for watersports fans in Basildon, so this will be great.”

New offices, a floating walkway and changing rooms will also be built at the centre, which is expected to be similar to the watersports lake at Thorpe Park, in Chertsey, Surrey. When the plans were revealed in September, fishermen who used the lake launched a campaign to continue angling in the waters. JVP Leisure agreed to allow fishing to take place at designated times when wakeboarders weren’t on the water.

Basildon Council officers have approved the plans, on the condition the public will still be able to use the public footpath running along Waterfront Walk.

sad times ahead i was a season ticket holder here for last few years,was a great lake,superb fish and very secure,looks like its just going to be glouster park and northlands for me now,no disrespect to these lakes but aquatels was a little bit special
r.i.p. tony

I remember when aquatels became the British motorboat centre many years ago (late 70s early 80's and they had powerful boats on there (way back when it used to have a beach) and a lot of the carp in there were killed/mashed by the props and jet/pump engines - I also remember seeing lots of pictures of carp with scars & deep cuts on their backs from props - dark days ahead indeed for the fishery - if only korda could have bought it ( they used it a bit for testing as its v close to there hq) lot of speculation about 18 months ago but probably nothing in it

Feel absolutely gutted for Tone reading that. All the hard work and money he invested to make it a great place has gone down the drain.

As said before, I wished Korda or one of the other big companies could have bought it out.... A lovely lake with two great big commons and plenty of others too.

Rest in peace Tone.

Know its not everybody's cup of tea but there's an awesome koi in there too

I have had many slagging off from people as well has from tony in the past about not joining echo I even fell out with a great Balt company because of them . But again my point was right again what do echo do.with all the money they have .with interest rates as they are investing in a great lake would of had its rewards I been told over and over again if your a angler you should join echo they look after the angler what a load of bollocks can anyone on hear tell me one thing echo as done for them probably not they do every thing for there self

Aquatels will continue with angling, not a huge amount will change. Fishing will still be there for night fishing
Mondays the cable system will be closed for maintenance so will remain open for anglers from Sunday afternoon to Tuesday mornings.
Parts will remain open at all times.
Come October, when the water cools down, they close the watersports and fishing will go right through the winter months as per normal.
There won't be boats or jet skis on there and the cable system runs slowly in comparison at 18mph. The boats towing skiiers is normally running at 32mph.
Yes there will be an impact, but lots of lakes manage with this sort of thing running alongside angling and it works very well.
It only causes an issue if you allow it to.
No..it's not ideal. I hate to see water sports on a fishing lake. But it wasn't financially viable as a fishing only lake any more, hence the sale. If it was full most days then they wouldn't have sold it.
Unfortunately money talks

we shall see if there promises live up to them but feel its the thin end of the wedge for lakes like Aquatels. But as farting carper says "money talks"
But happens when and if the water sports idea goes sunnyside up what happens then ? another land filled lake for developement ? maybe. Once that planning permission is given the change of use comes into force.

Gordon...fortunately Aquatels is a registered reservoir so there is no way on this earth they can fill it in. It is part of the flood relief system, so if the water sports plan falls flat...which, if we are honest, we would all like to see, then we would need a company coming in which wants to promote angling.
I know Nash was interested but the sale was pretty much concluded by the time he became aware it was up for sale.
If it doesn't work out then maybe he can be persuaded to give it a go

- fartingcarper

Gordon...fortunately Aquatels is a registered reservoir so there is no way on this earth they can fill it in. It is part of the flood relief system, so if the water sports plan falls flat...which, if we are honest, we would all like to see, then we would need a company coming in which wants to promote angling.
I know Nash was interested but the sale was pretty much concluded by the time he became aware it was up for sale.
If it doesn't work out then maybe he can be persuaded to give it a go

registered today ! unregistered tomorrow !
If the council wants to be a nice new houseing estate it will be one. But with local support from the papers and opposition i think it can be blocked.
There is an old saying never believe what a council says because the next election there could be a different council. But i would keep an eye on the CEO of Basildon council

as a reservoir they cant close it and fill it in. Flood relief and far far too much work to re route it all and nowhere to re route it

it will remain safe to an extent

Until such time as angling club’s /organisations /firms get together to purchase fisheries, Anglers decide to put their hand’s in their pockets, we will keep on loosing fisheries to other sports.
Angling is one of the premier sports in the UK yet we tend to behave as second class citizens seldom do we push for grants, that others seem to get for the asking,
Geoff