A new boardwalk has been officially unveiled at Wichelstowe, offering residents and visitors an accessible route through the area’s central green space and enhancing connections between neighbourhoods.
Councillor Marina Strinkovsky, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Placemaking and Planning, joined Daniel Pavely, Project Director for Wichelstowe, to officially open the 500-metre-long, three-metre-wide boardwalk at a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The structure spans the floodplain between Middle and West Wichel, linking the bridges along the eastern edge of Orchards Rise to the new District Centre car park in Canalside. An additional 200 metres of hoggin paths will connect the boardwalk to the heart of the surrounding area, forming a central hub within the Wichelstowe development.
Councillor Strinkovsky said: “It’s great that we’ve created such a cool new feature in Wichelstowe which will improve the wellbeing of everyone who lives in this amazing new community. Having had the pleasure of trying the Boardwalk myself, I’m certain local residents of all ages are going to love it. It’s a perfect place to enjoy a stroll and spot the area’s rich wildlife.”
The raised boardwalk has been constructed using recycled plastic for durability and resilience and has been carefully designed to ensure year-round usability across the lower lying, often waterlogged land.
Low-level solar lights mark the edge of the route which are fitted with specialist ‘bat hats’ to reduce light pollution and minimise impact on Wichelstowe’s bat population. The boardwalk also crosses several watercourses including the Elcombe Brook and features two new footbridges as part of the scheme.
A decked viewing platform has been created over the southern edge of one of the ponds which offers a peaceful space to observe local wildlife. The route passes two attenuation ponds that have recently been cleared to encourage biodiversity. One of these, known as Kingfisher Island, now includes specially installed nesting tunnels to help attract kingfishers, which have already been spotted on site.
Daniel added: “The boardwalk is a brilliant new feature at Wichelstowe, providing a safe and scenic route through one of our most ecologically rich areas. We’ve worked hard to create something that’s both practical and environmentally sensitive, allowing people to enjoy the space while protecting the wildlife that thrives here. It’s a great example of our commitment to making Wichelstowe a connected, sustainable and welcoming place to live.”
The boardwalk will eventually be extended as development progresses, forming a key part of a continuous north-south link through Wichelstowe’s central green spine.
A new play area — ‘The Boardwalk Play Area’ — is also set to be delivered later this summer to the south of the pond, further enhancing this part of Wichelstowe’s public realm.
The new boardwalk was built by Keystone Environmental and the videos below show how the build progressed over the past 6 months.
Drone Progress Photos
Flythrough
Build Progress
