Le Guet could get a raised metal walkway
A RAISED metal walkway could soon be installed on the part of the circular footpath at the Guet, as part of plans to restore and improve the Castel site.
Agriculture, Countryside & Land Management Services have applied to install 15m of walkway along part of the path running along the eastern side of the wooded site.
In the planning application, ACLMS said the walkway was part of a broader restoration plan for the site.
‘As it stands, the area of path concerned is dry throughout the summer months, but during the winter this small area becomes waterlogged and therefore impassable,’ an ACLMS spokesman said in the application.
‘The waterlogged area could also present a health and safety risk, as members of the public could slip in the muddy conditions and injure themselves.’
It is hoped installing the walkway will allow the path to be used all year round.
But the walkway would only be the first step.
Under the walkway it is planned that a standing water habitat would be created to encourage freshwater invertebrates, which would help support the food chain.
The ACLMS spokesman said Le Guet was an important educational site and that meant keeping the site fully accessible was very important.
While ACLMS said that creating a wooden walkway would have the best appearance, an open metal mesh was considered the better choice as it has better grip and allows water to drain away. The walkway would not be visible from the road and would be painted black, to reduce how it much it stands out.
In the long term the patch of forest will change. The pines are reaching the end of their lives and will be replaced by more native woodland species.
Monterey pines form a dense, tall canopy, which prevents light and rainwater reaching the ground, suppressing other plant species and micro-organisms.
The plans for the walkway can be viewed at Sir Charles Frossard House.
