Council orders reversal of bridge infilling by October 2023

The controversial infilling by National Highways of a Victorian bridge at Great Musgrave in Cumbria must be reversed by next October, local councillors have ruled.

Eden Council refused retrospective planning permission for the work in June and has now served a 12-month enforcement notice.

Built in 1862, the masonry bridge spans the former trackbed of the Eden Valley line, which closed to passenger services in 1962.

It was filled with some 1,500 tonnes of concrete (at a cost of £124,000) in summer 2021, after NH claimed it was at risk of collapse if used by heavy vehicles.

Critics accused the government road agency of “cultural vandalism” and of damaging the ‘wildlife corridor’ beneath an arch that experts say can in fact support lorries weighing up to 44 tonnes.

Some 800 objections were made - including by the Historical Railways Estate group, which argued that the infill would hinder an eventual link-up between heritage railways at nearby Stainmore and Warcop.

NH says it will abide by the order to restore the bridge and surrounding area to “the condition they were in before the infill was carried out”.