Making connections

Only connect: communities coming together.

UEA’s Norwich campus is a place for everyone, from bright students, researchers and teaching staff to visitors who want to share in our cultural riches and green spaces. They’re all welcome. That’s why we always plan our infrastructure projects to support rich learning experiences and to bring the ‘wow!’ moments that enrich everyday life. Through the power of philanthropy and the generosity of countless local people we have the funds – and the insight – to develop our campus in ways that keep on meeting the needs of all our communities.

Up on the Norwich campus’s iconic Lasdun Wall our new Centre of Advanced Environmental Microbiology (CAEM) is taking shape. It’s a purpose-built space where our brilliant researchers will pioneer ways to combat climate change and biodiversity loss across the globe. And meanwhile, down at the UEA Broad we’re getting our hands dirty protecting, enhancing and celebrating biodiversity in our own backyard, in the place our students call home.

The Boardwalk – a precious and rare thing It may only be 400 metres long and currently one metre wide but the Boardwalk, on the south side of the campus, is a much-loved stretch of the 9.5 km Yare Valley Walk. Sadly, since early 2024 it has also been a much-missed piece of the Walk, as we had to close it when heavy footfall degraded the ageing wooden structure. But now the Boardwalk is coming back!

The Yare Valley Walk meanders to take in stretches of river, broad, woodland and marsh and allows people of all ages to immerse themselves in a fenland landscape that’s becoming increasingly scarce. It links villages, Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and nature reserves, connecting Cringleford and Eaton with the University campus so local people can enjoy the woodland trails and other amenities here. On the Boardwalk everyone is welcome to pause, connect with the natural world and look for rare plant, bird and insect life. If they’re still and quiet they might even glimpse otters, water voles, deer, hares and more.

Boardwalk 2.0: the sustainable version Replacing the Boardwalk has given us the opportunity to reimagine it and make it even better. More inclusive, more enjoyable and nurturing for people, place and the wider planet. All in all – a big responsibility. But it’s one that local groups have been keen to share and they’ve contributed to the plan at our community meetings, in correspondence and in the media. With their help we’ve come up with a plan.

The new Boardwalk at a glance:

• A new 400-metre path made from recycled composite plastic. It will have a lifespan of 20-25 years and needs almost no maintenance.

• Widened to 1.5m wherever possible, for better wheelchair and pushchair access.

• Passing places

• Recycled composite plastic benches so people can rest and think.

• Enhanced signage and interpretation boards.

• Improved, safe access to learning spaces like the dipping pond.

We’ll be doing the work with advice from the Environment Agency and local Wildlife Trusts, timing it to create minimal disturbance for species that are already present, and reshaping the pond and the river/pond connection to create a variety of water levels that will attract new species.

The new Boardwalk will need minimal maintenance compared with a like-for-like replacement. That makes it a greener, more cost-effective choice and means we’ll need to make fewer interventions that might impact local ecosystems. At the same time, the new design makes it easier for us to do conservation work that will have a positive impact, and offers University students and researchers – as well as local schoolchildren and pond-dippers of any age – better, safer ways to explore what’s in and around the water.

Community voices

Walking the (Board)walk

Local people and organisations didn’t just talk about backing the project, they gave generously to make it happen. Alongside funding from the Greater Norwich Growth Board Infrastructure Investment Fund (GNGB-IIF) we raised matchfunding of £7,000 from individuals and local organisations, including Eaton Village Residents’ Association. We hit that target early this spring. Warm thanks to everyone – and a special mention to our lead partner, the Yare Valley Society.

We are hugely grateful to the Greater Norwich Growth Board for the core funding of £260,899, and to Norwich City Council for sponsoring our application. We can’t wait to reopen the Boardwalk for you all.

Sarah Ashurst, Head of Planning and Regulatory Services, Norwich City Council, and member of the Infrastructure Delivery Board (GNGB) said:

“The Greater Norwich Growth Board is proud to support investment that strengthens connections, improves access to nature, and is shaped by the people who use it.”

This project is funded by the Greater Norwich Growth Board through the Infrastructure Investment Fund.