The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Alyth folk vote to lose a bridge after floods
council: Only 390 people responded with some claiming lack of publicity led to poor feedback
Alyth residents have controversially voted to permanently remove one of the town’s footbridges.
Three crossings were damaged beyond repair during floods in July 2015.
Perth and Kinross Council plan to replace the crossings with new, modern structures.
In January, locals were presented with a series of options for repairs as part of a wider redevelopment of the town centre.
The majority of residents wanted to have all three bridges restored. An option to replace just two bridges received 44% of the vote.
But after further investigation, the local authority found that creating three new bridges could lead to less parking.
Building a third footbridge, in the middle of Barrel Wynd and the Alyth Museum, would result in the loss of four spaces on Commercial Street, the council said.
“This is due to the new bridges having to be designed at a higher level to allow for better water flow, resulting in access steps taking up more space on the pavement,” said a spokesman for the local authority.
The results of the second vote have been revealed by Alyth Community Council and 204 people voted to retain just two bridges, while 186 voted for three.
The move has angered some, who claimed the vote was not properly publicised.
One Facebook user wrote: “Absolutely pitiful, only 390 people voted? And now there will be no access across the burn for the elderly and infirm.”
Others said an official voting form should have been sent out to each household and notices put up around the town. Instead, the vote was conducted via local newsletter the Alyth Voice.
Resident Liz Jenkins wrote: “An important issue like this shouldn’t have been buried in the pages of the Alyth Voice. Too late now though.”
Councillor Dennis Melloy, who earlier called for work on the new bridges to be speeded up, said: “This came as a big surprise to me given the depth of feeling I was receiving from the residents in Alyth.”
He said: “Since February I have been pushing for a full consultation process for the people of Alyth to have their say on whether they wanted two or three bridges replaced.
“Well, we have now had that consultation and the people of Alyth have spoken. The consultation was well publicised with voting boxes in several popular venues throughout the town.”
Mr Melloy added: “I can only say to those who didn’t vote and wanted three bridges, you have missed your opportunity and you will now have to accept the decision of the majority.”
The council has pledged to have the bridges replaced by March.
I can only say to those who didn’t vote and wanted three bridges, you have missed your opportunity. COUNCILLOR DENNIS MELLOY