Hocombe Mead is a Local Nature Reserve within Eastleigh Borough and a popular venue for local walkers. The site consists of meadows and wet woodland with a number of footpaths. The boardwalk is a key feature of the site as it provides the link between the southern and northern reserve entrances. The existing boardwalk had come to the end of its life and required replacement.
In addition to the boardwalk two bridges were required to cross a tributary of the Monks Brook. The channel is designated as ‘main river’ by the Environment Agency and therefore the bridges required Environmental Permits which we applied for and gained.
The bridges were of all timber construction with hardwood beams and runners and softwood gripdeck deck boards.
The replacement 80 metre boardwalk was constructed using recycled plastic posts, beams and deck boards. This has proved to be ideal in a wet environment as they won’t rot. The improvements have been successful and have enabled greater access throughout the seasons.
