Shotley Gate Picnic Area

The Picnic Area at the bottom of Bristol Hill, Shotley Gate, was originally put in place in 1985 with funding from Babergh District Council. At the time, the area was surfaced and five wooden picnic tables with benches installed, as well as an information board giving details about the ecology of the area. Concrete bollards separated the area from the nearby B1456. Left largely unmaintained for some years aside from necessary maintenance and clearance by local residents and by Shotley Parish Council, the area gradually deteriorated with the tables and benches being vandalized until only fragments remained and eventually both the bollards and the information board were destroyed thanks to a carelessly parked car left with its handbrake off.



In September 2011 however, thanks to a substantial grant from Suffolk County Council and local fundraising, the ite was renovated by the Parish Council and the Shotley Stour Footpath Renovation Group on the back of the successful completion of phase 2 of The Shotley Sea Defence Project. Though the area could not be immediately resurfaced to a standard suitable for wheelchair users (as originally intended) due to issues over drainage consents, a partial resurfacing was carried out and the remains of the old wooden picnic furniture replaced by three new octagonal picnic tables and a public bench, all built out of a wood effect recycled plastic which is highly resistant to vandalism or grafitti. New signage was also installed and the concrete bollards and a nearby beach access ramp which had fallen into disrepair reinstated. The newly renovated site was opened by Tim Yeo M.P on Monday 19th September 2011.