It was a bizarre event that gripped South Wales: how one nesting seagull could stop the opening of a £350,000 water attraction in Aberavon, Neath Port Talbot. The aptly-named Aberavon Aqua Splash, an inclusive aquatic play area next to Aberavon Beach, was due to open in time for the May half term - but after council officers found a seagull nesting on top of one of the water features, the Aqua Park was forced to remain closed.
As UK law protects seagulls, formally known as Herring gulls, the park had to remain closed until the seagulls' eggs hatched or the nesting seagull moved on. Neath Port Talbot Council explained that opening the park would "amount to disturbance" under the law and confirmed it would have been illegal to open the Aqua Park while the nest was there - or to disrupt or move the nest in any way.
The council later admitted that the days were numbered for the nesting gull as the gull's nest was located beneath a water bucket which, when full, would automatically tip over. People across Neath Port Talbot were left divided on whether action should be done to protect the seagull, or whether more should be done to ensure the aqua park could open promptly. You can read what people had to say in a previous article here.
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Eventually, after almost two weeks since the start of the half term holiday, the nesting gull left the splash park. Council biodiversity officers who had been monitoring the splash park site since they first spotted the bird confirmed the nest had been cleared from the site on Friday, June 10 after the gull hadn't been seen for a few days.
It's believed a predatory gull targeted the nest, resulting in the nesting gull abandoning her nest and moving on. Although mother birds spend most of their time guarding their nests, they must occasionally leave to find food. It's thought the nesting gull temporarily left her nest to find food for herself, leaving her nest in an exposed position to a predatory gull who damaged the nest.
A spokesperson for Neath Port Talbot Council’s countryside and wildlife team previously explained: "Sadly, as the nest was in such an exposed location when she left the nest to get food it would have been in a position to be easily predated by other gulls.
"Normally the nests would be in a corner of a roof or camouflaged amongst pebbles so as not to be visible. But as they chose to make the nest on a brightly coloured platform in the middle of the Aqua Splash – with no camouflage – it would be so easily have been spotted and grabbed by other gulls.
"It was noted there are a lot of other gulls in that area standing on adjacent roofs and lampposts who could easily spot the nest. We are sorry this has ended in this way but all was done as stipulated by law to ensure these gulls were left in peace while nesting but it appears the location of their nest was too exposed." You can get more Neath news and other story updates by subscribing to our Neath Port Talbot newsletter here.
After the seagull left the site, Celtic Leisure, a leisure company which runs the site on behalf of the council, had to thoroughly clean the attraction and ensure the bucket, where the nest was based, was still operational. They also had to increase the concentration of chlorine to make sure the site was completely disinfected, before it could open to the public.
Now, finally, Aberavon Aqua Splash has been able to open for the season. Neath Port Talbot Council and Celtic Leisure have confirmed the splash park opened to the public on Saturday, June 18.
What is there to do at Aberavon Aqua Splash?
Aberavon Aqua Splash has more than 30 water attractions and is aimed at families with young children. The attraction first opened in summer, 2021 and was built as a replacement to an older splash park which had a paddling pool and small play area but was in need of refurbishment. The splash park, which cost £350,0000 to build and develop, features fountains, water jets, waterfalls, a tipping water bucket and lots more - and is completely free to visit.
Plus, organisers have launched special "inclusive sessions" so that children with additional needs can enjoy the park in a safe and supportive way. In a post on Facebook, organisers explained: "Aberavon Aqua Splash is so popular in the summer we are introducing an Inclusive Session for children with additional needs. The inclusive sessions will have a limited number of spaces available so that Aqua Splash will be less crowded for children that require more space. Aberavon Aqua Splash is all-level with no steps and is fully wheelchair accessible.
Places on inclusive sessions are limited, so must be booked in advance. You can do that online here. If you and your children want to visit the Aqua Park outside of the inclusive sessions, booking in advance is not required.
