Whitchurch bridge works set back a year
Work to repair toll bridge from Whitchurch to Pangbourne postponed until October 2013
RECONSTRUCTION of the deteriorating toll bridge which connects Whitchurch to Pangbourne has been postponed for a further year.
The Whitchurch Bridge Company announced yesterday (Monday) that delays in obtaining planning permission had left insufficient time for work to start this year, and that now the construction of a new bridge will begin in October 2013.
It is the latest wrangle in a saga which has run for a number of years.
Although the repairs were originally scheduled to begin in 2013 safety fears were raised when cracks were identified in the pier capitals of the bridge in August 2010, and the firm decided to act immediately.
A full reconstruction, brought forward to begin in October 2011, was then mooted, however the running repairs of the iron structure, the current incarntion of which has stood since 1902, went better than expected and the works were postponed.
Serious concerns over the impact of the bridge reconstruction on traffic, businesses and residents in Goring, Streatley, Whitchurch and Pangbourne were highlighted at a meeting of West Berkshire Council's Eastern Area Planning Committee in December, and although planning permission was granted subject to a number of stringent conditions, the firm has decided to delay work once again, this time until October 2013.
West Berkshire Council and South Oxfordshire District Council granted approval to the work being carried out subject to various conditions, but the bridge company has said objections by English Heritage put it in a difficult position.
Company chairman Mike Beckley said: “Safety is our top priority. The bridge has reached the end of its life and is in poor condition structurally.
“We were therefore keen to get on with the reconstruction so that we can continue to meet our legal obligation to provide a safe and reliable crossing over the Thames between Pangbourne and Whitchurch-on-Thames.
“However, the objections from English Heritage and the consequential delays in obtaining Planning Permission mean that there is insufficient time for us to prepare for work to start in the autumn of 2012.
“As we cannot do the work in the summer, we have consulted our bridge engineers who have advised us that the work can be safely postponed until autumn.”
Frequent special inspections of the bridge will continue until it closes for reconstruction in October 2013, and any further emergency repair work will be carried out if necessary.