Bridge renamed after Prince despite widespread opposition
THE Second Severn Crossing has been renamed after the Prince of Wales – as a new poll suggested more than half of the Welsh people want a different name for the bridge.
Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall yesterday unveiled a plaque to formally mark the change of name after the couple visited the bridge’s toll plaza and met staff.
But the decision to change the name to The Prince of Wales Bridge has proven controversial, angering some who said there should have been a public consultation over the move.
The survey of more than 1,000 people in Wales, conducted by YouGov for ITV Wales and Cardiff University, revealed 38% wanted the name to stay as the Second Severn Crossing, with 16% wanted the bridge to be given a different name.
Out of those questioned, 27% supported renaming the crossing The Prince of Wales Bridge, while 19% did not know.
Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns – who has faced a backlash from critics since the move was first announced – said in a speech at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport that he hoped the removal of the bridge tolls at the end of the year would bring a financial boost and bring communities on both sides of the Severn estuary closer together.
He said it could help create an economic powerhouse to rival those in other parts of the country.
Mr Cairns said later, when asked to comment on the controversy surrounding the renaming: “If you take any international study, one was recently conducted by the Welsh Government on the brand of Wales, how that was seen and known internationally.
“Well, the Prince of Wales is one of the most prominent figures that points to Wales, and therefore I couldn’t think, in this significant anniversary year, of a better title of someone bridging two communities in his 70th birthday year.”
The bridge was renamed in Charles’ honour to mark his 70th birthday year, 60 years since he was first named the Prince of Wales, as well as the approaching 50th anniversary of the prince being formally invested with the title in 1969.
In his speech to First Minister Carwyn Jones, business people and civic leaders from both sides of the Severn estuary and others, Mr Cairns highlighted the work of Charles’ charities in Wales.
The Welsh Secretary mentioned the heir to the throne’s Prince’s Trust, which helps disadvantaged youngsters and Prime Cymru’s efforts supporting older workers starting their own businesses.
Charles spoke of his deep affection for Wales in his speech at the renaming ceremony at the Celtic Manor resort, as he began his annual week in Wales with his wife Camilla.
He said: “Over all these years, wherever I have been in Wales, my soul has never ceased to be stirred, and moved, by the majesty of her landscapes, by the richness and poignancy of her history, by the beauty of her ancient and precious language ‘yr iaith Gymraeg’ which I did my best to study for a period at Aberystwyth very nearly 50 years ago under the patient tutorship of the distinguished scholar Teddy Millward.
“But most of all I have come to love and admire the character of her people: their passion, tenacity; their sense of fair play – ‘chwarae teg’ – and, of course, their humour.”
After reading a quote, in Welsh, from poet T Gwynn Jones, he added: “It is, therefore, my particular hope that the Crossing’s new name will bring to mind all those who, over these long centuries, have borne that ancient title Tywysogion Cymru and the different traditions and heritages that they represent.”
The Second Severn Crossing was inaugurated by Charles in 1996.
When he visited its toll booth with his wife and Mr Cairns, he chatted to Highways England staff who have been responsible for the crossing and the original bridge since they returned to public ownership in January this year.