UK’s first heathland green bridge

Cockcrow Bridge will be the UK’s first green bridge to support heathland habitats, reconnecting two internationally valuable heathland areas. At 68 m long and 30 m wide, spanning the A3 in southeast England, it will be an exceptional example of green infrastructure. There are hundreds of green bridges in Europe, but currently only ten in the UK. Green bridges have the potential to be a key part of the solution for our nature crisis, providing safe crossing points for wildlife, joining up disconnected habitats and vulnerable populations. Cockcrow Bridge is being delivered as part of a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project; however, funding was secured separately based on the multitude of benefits the bridge delivers for nature and people. The design of the green bridge is inspired by the nature surrounding it. Typically, green bridges in the UK are planted with hedgerows/trees but Cockcrow will connect two areas of historic common land and provide a corridor of one of the rarest habitat types in the UK – lowland heathland. The article focuses on the design journey – how a required ‘grey’ access bridge for non-motorised users/occasional vehicle access was adapted so that it could deliver a multi-functional ecological corridor.