The news that a large sports area development next to Bernards Heath was a surprise to many, since entry to the site is along Spinney Lane, which is part of the Heath. This lane is much used by pedestrians and forms part of a National Cycle Trail.
A Google aerial view with a superimposed area covered by the plan is shown below. It includes an arboricultural impact assessment including large trees on the eastern side of the Heath. These trees are not adversely affected.
The sports area slopes downward gently to the north and it has been leveled to install a synthetic sports surface with appropriate ground layers including drainage. Leveling called for soil removal to a depth of at about 1m in the top area, so hundreds of tons of soil have been removed. The soil removal and installation of ground works by has meant, a large number of heavy truck movements between February and early June 2022.
Early work started in wet weather when Spinney Lane was widened in places by impact with large trucks and existing potholes deepened. There was quite a lot of mud on the lane. The onset of drier weather in March/April meant that dust was a problem along the lane and to neighbours.
Several loads of crushed rock have since been laid along Spinney Lane (see below) which should help alleviate problems with mud in winter and fill the many potholes.
