15th November 2006

Bridging the Gap

Two new bridges across the River Blackwater at Hawley Meadows were officially opened today by the Mayor of Surrey Heath, Cllr Keith Bush, making a hidden part of the Blackwater Valley more accessible. In attendance were Cllr Adrian Collett, Chairman of the Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership (BVCP), Cllr Eric Neal, Hampshire County Councillor for Aldershot East, plus other BVC Partnership members, staff and volunteers.

Pictured, left to right: Cllr Keith Bush Mayor of Surrey Heath, Adrian Collett chairman BVCP, Cllr Nigel Baines Rushmoor Borough Council, Cllr Eric Neal Hampshire County Council, Cllr David Murr Mayor of Yateley Town Council and Andy Scott from Cemex

Hawley Meadows is an important river floodplain site with a wet grassland habitat supporting a wide range of wildlife and straddles the border of Surrey and Hampshire on the west side of the A331 between the M3 and the A30. But access has always been a problem. Although the 23-mile long Blackwater Valley path runs through Hawley Meadows, the path is located on the west bank of the river and with the site’s main car park found on the east, visitors in the past have had to make a long detour to reach it. The new bridge leads directly from the car park across the river and will open up the site for all visitors, whilst making access to the Blackwater Valley path much easier.  An old second bridge further south has been replaced to give ramped access.

Adrian Collett described the new bridges as an essential improvement for people’s  enjoyment of the meadows: “It’s another piece in the emerging jigsaw of the Blackwater Valley,” he said. “I was surprised to find that many local people were unaware that the meadows existed as the Blackwater Valley is a wonderful asset to the area. It is rich with different species of wildlife and plants. Without it we would have one huge urban area.”

Steve Bailey, Manager of the Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership said: “This has been one of our most ambitious projects in recent years, and is a great example of partnership working.” The majority of the funding came from Surrey Heath Borough Council with money also being contributed by Hampshire County Council and CEMEX, one of the mineral companies active in the Valley. Steve continued: “With the new bridges in place we hope more people will now visit the site and explore the area.”

There are more plans for improving access at Hawley Meadow in the pipeline making it a more family friendly site. If funding can be secured the next stage will be to upgrade the path surface suitable for pushchairs, wheelchairs and bicycles.

Hawley Meadows has long been one of the Valley’s hidden secrets and one of the few sites which shows what the scenery may have been like over 100 years ago. It has always acted as a natural flood defence with the fields acting as a temporary reservoir after heavy rainfall, the last time the meadows flooded was in August this year after torrential rain caused the river to burst its banks. Today Hawley Meadows’ role as a floodplain meadow is even more important at it helps prevent the A331 and surrounding towns from flooding.

END

For more information contact:
 Christine Reeves, Visitor Promotions Officer on 01252 331353.

Notes

• Hawley Meadows is owned by Hampshire County Council and Blackwater & Hawley Town Council.
• Hawley Meadows plays an important role as a flood defence for the nearby towns.  The River Blackwater runs for over a mile along the length of the site and is also joined by the Cove Brook.  After heavy rain the river can ‘break its banks’ and the surrounding fields act as a reservoir for the flood water, containing the water. The level of some of the fields was lowered in 1986 to increase this capacity.