Repairs to the footpath that runs adjacent to Egford Brook (also known as Nunney Brook) are planned to start on 1 June and expected to take around six weeks to complete.
This work was delayed last autumn as the relevant licenses were not granted in time to ensure repairs could be completed outside of the fish spawning cycle. This is now the earliest opportunity for us to get the work underway and ensure fish remain protected.
The repairs will be taking place on the path along the riverbank between Egford (close to Vallis Veg and Vallis Farm, at grid reference NGR ST 75709 48614) and the metal footbridge, (near to where the brook meets the Mells River, at grid reference NGR ST 75529 49076). Work includes repairs to the eroded riverbank, which has been subject to large scale bank erosion due to increased footfall and high winter river flows, as well as the installation of flow features that will help to shore up the banks and provide enhanced and more varied fish habitats. The creation of specific ‘dog-dipping’ areas will also help reduce further erosion of the riverbank, without preventing four-legged users of the path from accessing the water.
The scope of work has been guided by input from both the Environment Agency (EA), Natural England (NE) and The Wild Trout Trust. Necessary consents for the project have been secured from the EA and NE, plus we also have approval from Somerset Council’s Public Rights of Way (PRoW) team to temporarily close the affected section of the footpath which includes parts of the Mendip Way.
Please note:
- Part of the car park on the access road to Vallis Farm will be used as a contractor’s compound during the project. This means that parking facilities will be restricted and we strongly advise that alternative parking locations are used until the work is finished.
- To ensure the safety of both path users and our specialist contractors the footpath FR14/60 will be closed while the work is being carried out. We ask for your understanding in this regard and request that you adhere to the signage that will be in place and use alternative routes until the footpath is reopened.
Once the work is complete we plan to instal information boards about the riverbank and the wildlife that call it home.
If you have any questions about this, or any other aspect of our operations at Whatley quarry and/or across our local landholding, please do get in touch. You can reach us either by calling our free phone number: 0800 644 4234 or emailing us at: whatley.quarry@uk.heidelbergmaterials.com
