Vote on number of footbridges in Alyth
Locals have been asked to have their say on the number of replacement footbridges spanning Alyth Burn.
The bridges were damaged beyond repair during last July’s flooding and are to be replaced as part of town centre regeneration work scheduled to take place over the next two years.
A January community survey indicated 52 per cent of the community wanted three replacement footbridges while 44 per cent voted for two.
However, detailed investigations by engineers and planning officers from Perth and Kinross Council have revealed that building a middle foot bridge between Barrel Wynd and Alyth Museum would result in the loss of up to four parking spaces on Commercial Street.
A council spokesperson explained this is “due to the new bridges having to be designed at a higher level to allow for better water flow, resulting in the access steps taking up more space on the pavement”.
The spokesperson added: “The design of access steps for public facilities come under strict national building regulations and cannot be accommodated in the existing narrow footpath on the east side of the burn and so the pavement would have to be widened.
“This would result in a kink in the road at this point, requiring loss of parking spaces outside the museum and the Ogilvie Rooms to allow the flow of traffic.
“The other two replacement footbridges near to the Alyth Hotel and the pack bridge have wider sections of road and footpath where the access can be built so do not suffer from the same problem.
“Given the lack of parking spaces in Alyth we would like to put this final important decision to a community vote between the two possible layouts.”
Drawings illustrating the two options are available to view at Alyth Library on Airlie Street or online at www.pkc.gov.uk/alythplacecheck.
Voting forms are available locally now and online at www.pkc.gov.uk/alythplacecheck. Votes must be cast by Sunday, July 31 and once the final decision has been made the council hopes to start work on the first foot bridge during the autumn.