Aerial image Sweet Briar Marshes 2025 (credit: Matt Wickens)
What’s next for Sweet Briar Marshes?
Our plans to enhance access at Sweet Briar Marshes and bring people closer to the nature on site can move ahead, thanks to new funding from long-term project partners Aviva, the Greater Norwich Growth Board (GNGB) and the Geoffrey Watling Charity.
Enabling more people to access the nature reserve
We’ll be providing a small car park for people with accessibility needs and a Changing Places toilet within a small yard situated off Burnett Road. There will also be space for coach or minibus parking for school or group visits. Improvements to the existing foot and cycle path and a new accessible entrance to the marshes from the yard will make it easier for visitors with limited mobility to explore the site. There will also be dedicated base for reserve staff and volunteers, significantly enhancing on-site conservation management.
Facilities to enhance nature connections onsite
Below are some images taken from the landscape design report prepared by our landscape architects to support our planning application, which is currently being considered.
Wildlife screens:
Carefully positioned wildlife screens (one on the east and one on the west side) will be made of natural materials to blend into the landscape. They will provide long views over the nature-rich wet meadows on the reserve. The position of the proposed screens is also intended to prevent visitors from straying off the path into these vulnerable areas for wildlife. Interpretation and signage would tell visitors more about the view in front of them.
Sweet Briar Marshes viewing screen concept. These are some artists impressions of what the wildlife screens could look like.
Sweet Briar viewing screen concept (different angle). These are some artists impressions of what the wildlife screens could look like.
Viewing platforms:
Carefully positioned viewing platforms (two on the east and one on the west side) will be made of natural materials to blend into the landscape. They will provide long views over the nature-rich wet meadows on the east side of the nature reserve. The position of the proposed screens is also intended to prevent visitors from straying off the path into these vulnerable areas for wildlife. Interpretation and signage would tell visitors more about the view in front of them.
Sweet Briar Marshes viewing platform concept. These are some artists impressions of what the viewing platforms could look like.
Sweet Briar Marshes viewing platform concept (different angle). These are some artists impressions of what the viewing platforms could look like.
Social seating:
One of the key things to come out of the engagement with the community was that young people were more likely to come onto the nature reserve – and be inspired to care for wildlife – if there were places to meet friends and hang out in a relaxed manner. As a result, we are planning on including an area of ‘social seating’ with a new ‘Welcome area’ which will also include visitor information about the nature reserve. The social seating will be designed so that it accessible for wheelchair users and made of natural materials.
Sweet Briar social seating concept. This gives an idea of what the social seating could look like, but the final design will be decided with the local community.
Sweet Briar marshes - landscape architects family event (credit: Denzil Dean)
A shared vision
The proposals on this page have been developed following an extensive master planning and consultation process.