Alyth bridge work delayed to avoid busy festive season

Work on new bridges at flood-hit Alyth has been postponed until early next year.

A strategy has been drawn up to replace bridges which were damaged beyond repair when the area was hit by a massive deluge just over a year ago.

Perth and Kinross Council has pledged to have the crossings in place by March.

The authority has agreed to postpone construction until after Christmas, so that Alyth isn’t left “looking like a building site” in the run-up to the festive season.

Businesses say trade has been affected by the loss of the footbridges.

Locals are now being consulted on how many bridges – two or three – should be replaced.

Earlier this year, residents were presented with a series of options for repairs, as part of a wider redevelopment of the town centre.

The majority of residents consulted (52%) voted to restore all three bridges. A proposal to replace just two bridges received 44% of the vote.

But after further investigation, the local authority has found that creating three new bridges could lead to less parking.

Local councillor Dennis Melloy has urged as many people as possible to get involved in the consultation.

He said an initial survey on the crossings did not reach enough of the local population.

“The percentages sound good, but only 93 people voted over the two nights that the workshops were held and this could hardly be considered a consultation with the residents of Alyth,” he said.

“I feel strongly that the Alyth community in general should have been consulted properly and given more information before now, as the bridges are an integral part of the town.”

Mr Melloy said he was “delighted” that further consultation was under way, with voting forms available in the library, Cafe in the Square, the Losset Arm and other venues.

Local councillor Ian Miller said the bridges would be built at a higher level to avoid damming and that one of the crossings will be fully accessible for wheelchair users.