Rushcliffe Borough Council has confirmed that a replacement for the willow tunnel removed from Bridgford Park will be installed this autumn.
The commitment has been communicated to the Friends of Bridgford Park in which the council provides further details about the decision to remove the popular feature ahead of Lark in the Park on Wednesday 5 August.
The tunnel was originally planted and maintained by the Friends group, but the council said the willow had died following another prolonged dry summer. Incidents of vandalism had also contributed to the deterioration of the structure.
They explain that the Streetwise team found numerous sharp and brittle branches when it removed the feature. Sections of the remaining structure could also be pushed over by hand without the use of tools.
The council said this demonstrated that the tunnel had become unstable and that prompt action was required before Lark in the Park, which attracts thousands of families and children.
The removal prompted questions from residents, who suggested the existing structure might have been retained and restored by planting new willow between the remaining stems. Some also expressed concern about the loss of natural play features from the park.
However, the council said its assessment found that the tunnel no longer represented an acceptable managed risk.
It said the dead branches created a foreseeable risk of injury, particularly to the faces and eyes of children and other people using the tunnel. The hazards were not necessarily obvious to visitors, while parts of the structure could have failed without warning.
Options considered included keeping parts of the tunnel or fencing it off, but the council concluded that neither would address the underlying safety concerns and would substantially reduce the feature’s value to park users.
This is the second willow tunnel in Bridgford Park to fail after the living willow died. The council said replacing it, as happened previously, was considered the most proportionate and sustainable response.
Rushcliffe Borough Council said the decision to remove the tunnel was made solely on safety grounds and confirmed that it would work with the Friends of Bridgford Park and other stakeholders on a replacement.
The precise design of the new feature has not yet been announced, but the council said it intends to deliver a suitable replacement in the autumn.
A Rushcliffe Borough Council spokesperson said: “The much-loved willow tunnel designed, planted and maintained by the Friends of Bridgford Park, will be replaced in due course as after another dry summer the willow had died and added to some elements of vandalism, the feature was unsafe.
“Teams working on it found numerous sharp edges that could have endangered children and others and when removed the structure was pushed over without the need for any tools, highlighting how brittle and unsafe it was. It was necessary then to take action ahead of the Lark in the Park event which attracts thousands of families and children.
“We know how much park goers loved the willow tunnel which is why we will be working with the Friends of Bridgford Park on a suitable replacement in the autumn.”
