BRIDGING THE GAP
AIM IS TO HAVE £500,000 STRUCTURE INSTALLED WITHIN 12 WEEKS
A TEMPORARY footbridge allowing access to Darley Abbey Mills from Darley village for the first time since mid-May could be open by the autumn.
The new structure is likely to cost Derby City Council between £450,000 and £500,000.
It is likely to be placed either near to the Cottonworks restaurant, to the north of the closed Victorian bridge, or closer to the cricket pitch, past the weir to the south.
It would take up to 12 weeks for a consultation to be completed by the Environment Agency to decide where would be most suitable for the structure to be placed, and then for the bridge to be found, delivered and installed.
The breakthrough comes following the completion of report by Derby City Council into the feasibility of various options for reopening the existing bridge or installing a temporary structure.
At a meeting yesterday, it was stated that the existing bridge could not be reopened temporarily as the concrete and ironworks would need to be repaired for it to be safe. This would essentially consist of demolishing the Grade II-listed bridge to then rebuild it again.
Meanwhile, the council’s emergency planning team has met with emergency services to develop a plan to help residents in Haslams Lane and Folly Road get to safety in the event of flooding before a permanent structure is installed, which includes issuing earlier flood alerts.
Haslams Lane is currently the only means of access to Darley Abbey Mills, a Unesco World Heritage Site, but is prone to flooding.
Amanda Solloway, MP for Derby North, who organised the meeting, said: “I’m pleased that plans are being made for a temporary bridge to be put in place and that the council now have more details regarding the logistics of this.
“I will be meeting with the Lottery Heritage Fund and the Environment Agency to help where I can and have organised another meeting with businesses within the Mills complex to ensure they have as much support as they can get. I’ll also be holding a further residents’ meeting in the near future.” There have been regular meetings over the future of the bridge in recent weeks, which have also been attended by Derby City Council officers and the three councillors for Darley, Martin Repton, Alison Martin and Carmel Swan.
The Victorian bridge has been closed to all pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles since May 13 after the council found it to be in a severely weak condition. It has since been revealed by council officers that inspectors were able to pull concrete away with their bare hands, damage believed to have been sustained during seasonal floods.
Following the meeting, Councillor Alison Martin said: “I have been calling on the council to crack on with a temporary bridge solution for some weeks, and I am pleased that a temporary bridge could be in place in 8-12 weeks from now, but that may take longer depending on the situation with foundations for it.
“I have asked again about the emergency response plan and the Derby and Derbyshire Emergency Planning Team do now have the needs of residents and businesses in the mills high on their agenda.
“They are looking at identifying vulnerable people in the area and every option for access in the event of an emergency.
“I will keep asking for updates and reassurances that residents can be helped by the emergency services if and when they need help. The longterm solution for a replacement bridge is being looked at, and lots of different funding possibilities explored.”
The next meeting with the council and officials is scheduled for a fortnight’s time. A meeting with businesses will be held this week at Darley Abbey Mills and another meeting to update residents will be held once a date has been confirmed.