Hawks Mill - mill race area clearance
On the 29th September the Trust started clearance work on the island site opposite Hawks Mill in Needham Market. Not many years ago this area was seen as an oasis of tranquillity, (Great Eastern Railway excepted!) used by residents of Needham Market and surrounding areas to enjoy a quiet time by the river or by photographers taking wedding photos. It has since become an overgrown jungle and the Trust were determined to do something about it.
We had a lot of encouragement from residents and lots of support from Needham Town Council and Mid Suffolk District Council. Creeting St Mary council were also very helpful. In fact MSDC provided us with a chipper and 2 operators for the day. We still don't know who owns the area and this fact was holding up work but having sought advice from the MSDC Tree Officer and agreement from the Planning Officer we were ready to go.
It is clear from the photos just how much work was needed but I think the results of our work speak for themselves. This isn't the end of our work at Hawks Mill. We now need to repair the seating, dispose of the pile of willow cuttings and then clean up the river itself by taking out all the old concrete that was tipped in when they rebuilt the bridge. We want to see the whole area returned to it's original state so that people can once again use it as a place to relax.