RK Leisure set to renovate Wraysbury One and Two
Some big news from the industry this week is that RK Leisure are planning to extensively renovate the two legendary Wraysbury waters in Surrey. The carping grapevine has been awash with Chinese whispers surrounding this story, often with the facts having been put to one side. However, RK Leisure’s CEO, Raphael Khalili, was more than happy to put the facts straight with regards his plans for the former British record-breaking complex.
Following on from a meeting with the Parish Council, a document was released which although factual, didn’t actually include the whole story. The first thing that Raph wanted to make clear was that the current syndicate and fishing on Wraysbury One North Lake will not change and will remain as it is currently. There are plans, however, to develop the South Lake at Wraysbury One into a top day ticket water. Raph revealed: “This plan involves the creation of 28-wooden lodges, which will be tastefully designed and placed in the swims around the lake. This will allow anglers to fish from something much more comfortable than a bivvy, with a bedroom and bathroom fitted in each lodge. There will also be a carp fishing museum erected at the site, which will celebrate the heritage of the site and future of the sport. Inside there are plans to show every stage of a carp’s life cycle using RK Leisure’s own fish from the Horton complex. The museum will be open to the public and be available for local schools to use for education purposes.”
Wraysbury Two is also set to see some huge changes too, with a proposed boathouse café and village car park to be built. The boathouse café will be the main attraction and will offer not only good food and drink but also the hire of kayaks and canoes for predator angling. There are also plans to build some eco homes around the lake, only 15-20 houses designed to meet the needs of the elderly or first time buyers. A further 15-20 houses are planned to be built to the same spec near to the Wraysbury Station. These houses will be kept as discreet as possible. A small carp syndicate will also remain in place on Wraysbury Two, as is currently the case on the venue.
We asked Raph what his aims were regarding the project and he added: “On behalf of RK Leisure, our aim has always been to preserve and maintain these fisheries for future generations. Our goal is to create the best fisheries in Europe and we feel that we are close to getting there. Of course this comes with many challenges, keeping everyone happy from the fishing community right through to the local community, The Environmental Agency and Natural England. Balance is paramount, but we feel we are getting that right. Overall we are extremely happy with the feedback we are getting from all parts of the fishing and local communities and we look forward to working closely with all groups to get that balance right. Building a small number of fisherman’s lodges will only enhance the venue further and the development of starter homes in secluded areas around the lake will have no effect on the fishing activities.”
There is no doubt that under the management of RK Leisure the legendary Wraysbury complex is now thriving and these plans will further boost it. Being the home of Carp Team England, hosting the BCAC for the fourth year as well as the World Carp Classic and the first ever London Kayak Fishing Festival, these two amazing lakes are now starting to fulfil their potential as the best lakes in the UK.
