living willow visibility scheme

client - leicestershire county council

• Leicestershire County Council’s living willow visibility screen is designed to restrict visibility and hence reduce vehicle speeds on the A50 and A511 approaches to the M1 Junction 22.
• The screen comprises of living willow shoots about 2m high attached together to form panels. This provided a solution that was sympathetic to the nature conservation value of the area at no extra cost, and without having to blight the landscape with an uglier type barrier.Trial holes were dug at the site and revealed an old carriageway under the planting area which was then removed.
• Maintaining the screen should be relatively straightforward and details of the planting project were featured in an article in Surveyor magazine.
• The effects of the screen are being evaluated. The Council is monitoring the site to ascertain whether the barrier lengths are correct and the monitoring will be ongoing. They are also checking for congestion, speeds and welcome feedback from the local residents.