Project Brief
The River Soar through Aylestone Meadow in Leicester is a popular amenity for the public and dog walkers, with public access stretching right down to the river. Years of prolonged footfall along the footpath combined with scour caused by a recent flooding event had led to extensive bank erosion, exposing a major gas supply pipeline.
Temporary measures were installed to protect the gas main from further erosion, however a long-term, robust solution suitable for a public open space was desperately required.
We were engaged by the client to design and build a long-term environmentally sustainable solution to protect the pipeline from further erosion and to improve access to the river for the public.
Work / Solution
Before
The following images provide an overview of the site before any work was undertaken.
Sand bags were being used as a temporary measure to slow erosion and provide some temporary protection to the gas pipeline.
During
The solution chosen involved the construction of an erosion-resistant and natural-looking bank revetment utilising geotextile-retained ‘coirnet’ downstream of the exposed pipe. The works also incorporated an enlarged and more durable sloping gravel ramp to maintain and improve public access down to the river.
After
The completed works successfully reinstated the eroded bank margin around the pipeline utilising a long-term, aesthetically pleasing solution suitable for the location within a public open space as well as providing sustainable and safe access to the river for the public.
