Footpath upgrades to reserve and river bank

Lollycocks Field in Sleaford has seen a number of improvements over the past year through the £1.29 million Witham/Slea Blue Green Corridor Project, including a kingfisher nesting bank, hedgerow planting and scrapes for biodiversity and an extended boardwalk around the pond to protect ground vegetation while providing access.

Now, as part of the remaining works for the project, the steps down to the nature reserve from Eastgate will be changed to a ramp allowing better access for prams and wheelchair users.

A 140m long resin path will also be laid, along the existing earthen path, from the new ramp until it meets the existing path which runs over the bridge near Sleaford Leisure Centre. This section of path will close during the work, due to start on Tuesday, April 11, ending, weather permitting, on May 3. An alternative route is available using the footpath which runs along the River Slea and then leads to the entrance near the pedestrian crossing on Eastgate, outside William Alvey School.

The work will also see a new wooden gate and fencing added along a small stretch of land where Lollycocks Field meets a section of the council car park adjacent. This will restrict access on foot through the car park from Lollycocks during school hours only, when the car park is particularly busy with moving cars.

Existing access through Lollycocks Field itself onto Eastgate and over the bridge will not change. North Kesteven District Council economy and place director Andy McDonough said: “The path is also a popular route for people who walk to work and families getting to school through Lollycocks Field, who will benefit too from the upgrade as the current path can get muddy during winter. The vegetation will also be better protected.”

A stretch of existing footpath along the northern bank of the River Slea, between the railway bridge and the old Cranwell railway line, is also currently being improved as part of the works under the Witham/Slea Blue Green Corridor Project. The path is degraded and difficult to use in places but is being restored and revamped to create a metre-wide gravel pathway.

That section of path is closed until Monday, April 24, and an alternative route is suggested via Drove Lane.