Great Musgrave planning decision awaited
A TARGET date of May 27 has been set to decide whether or not National Highways (NH) should be granted retrospective planning permission for the controversial infilling of a bridge over a disused section of the Eden Valley line near Great Musgrave in Cumbria. Approximately 1540 tonnes of crushed stone and 104 tonnes of concrete were used to fill the portal of the bridge (carrying the B6259 across the old railway alignment) and create embankments which were then covered with topsoil and grass. Following completion of the work in June 2021, the Eden Valley Railway (which operates heritage services over a two-mile stretch of the route from Warcop, around two miles north of the bridge) and the Stainmore Railway Company (based at the southern end of the old line at Kirkby Stephen East station) wrote a letter of complaint to NH, then known as Highways England, stating that neither organisation had been consulted prior to the infilling. They said it was “deeply detrimental” to their longstanding goals to restore the link between Appleby East and Kirkby Stephen East.
No permission
NH proceeded without prior planning permission under regulations which allow work to prevent an emergency. As the infill was to be retained rather than a temporary measure, Eden District Council advised that a retrospective planning application would, however, be required, and it was received by the authority at the beginning of April. In its submission as NH’s planning agent, Jacobs UK Ltd states that intervention was considered necessary “to prevent further deterioration of the bridge from occurring and remove the possible risk of structural collapse, and to enable unrestricted use of the bridge by traffic” after surveys showed a drop in the arch of the bridge and widening gaps in joints between masonry. It adds that NH commits to remove the infill should the legal go-ahead be given for the route’s reopening. NH has responsibility for more than 3200 former railway structures across Britain known as the Historical Railways Estate. The HRE Group, which is trying to raise awareness of their potential future importance for walking, cycling and rail reopening, has presented excerpts of assessments which appear to show the bridge was in a “fair condition”. It accuses NH of contriving “an alternative reality.”