Project overview

Denham Country Park is a 69 acre site at the heart of the Colne Valley. It is a designated Local Nature Reserve and has a wide range of rich habitats including meadows, rivers, ditches, ponds, scrub and woodland.

HS2’s viaduct construction and associated works, in particular National Grid’s pylon relocation, have had a significant impact on the area, taking out a large swathe of land and habitats from the Colne Valley, and directly affecting Denham Country Park.

Buckinghamshire Council has been awarded funding from HS2 to carry out improvements to Denham Country Park to bring about positive outcomes from the HS2 works.

Buckinghamshire Council is leading this project and will be working in partnership with Groundwork South and the Colne Valley Park Trust on various tasks, such as invasive species removal, river surveying, and providing information about the project and any potential impact, including footpath closures.

For regular project updates, click here or visit Bucks Country Park website here.

Maydencroft has now been awarded the contract to carry out works and the following enhancements are planned for Autumn 2024 to Autumn 2025:

Access works

  • Path restructuring and resurfacing in areas susceptible to flooding (using recycled aggregate from the nearby HS2 works site)
  • Replacement of 5 wooden pedestrian bridges over ditches with long-lasting recycled plastic bridges
  • Replacement of footbridge to Widow’s Cruise Covert from Denham Country Park
  • Installation of new signs to help direct the public to less frequented areas of the park

 Buckinghamshire Council Rights of Way team are expected to complete replacement of the bridge at the east of Widow’s Cruise Covert in 2025.

Additional funding is being sought to carry out path improvements through Widow’s Cruise Covert in order to complete the route from Denham Village and Station to the Country Park by Autumn 2026.

Habitat enhancements

  • Creation of structured wetland areas, including ponds, scrapes and ditches, which will provide important habitats, as well as holding additional water during floods.
  • Habitat sensitive clearance of current ditches and channel restoration to enhance water vole habitat connectivity
  • Control of invasive non-native species, including floating pennywort and Himalayan and orange balsam
  • Long term habitat management plan to maintain the wetlands and encourage growth of native species, improving the biodiversity of the area.

Project updates

For regular updates on this project, and any work or footpath closures that might impact walkers, please follow this page.

Works to improve access through Denham Country Park are now underway

Infrastructure improvements in Denham Country Park – footpath closures

Invasive Floating Pennywort Removal throughout Denham Country Park

The Green Team tackles Himalayan Balsam at Denham Country Park

Recycled stones to be used to restructure paths through Denham Country Park