An image of the new footbridge
A planning application for a new footbridge over the River Chew in Keynsham Park has been lodged, more than three years after the current one was closed because it was considered unsafe.
The footbridge has been cordoned off since October 2019 after a visual inspection revealed that beams had decayed. A year later a petition was started calling on Bath & North East Somerset Council to get on and repair the footbridge because of the inconvenience being caused by the closure.
The current bridge has been closed for more than three years
Alternative routes take pedestrians out of the park and onto busy Bath Hill and they have to used the narrow footway on the west side of Avon Mill Lane.
A planning application to demolish the old bridge, which has aging timber beams and rotten bearings, was finally submitted earlier this year and is pending consideration.
Now the council has lodged a separate planning application for a replacement bridge which will be manufactured off-site.
Removal of the central pier to the existing two-span bridge will enable the replacement to be single span and a “more elegant design” than the existing one, improving the appearance of this part of the Keynsham Conservation Area. It will also reduce flood risk.
The existing abutments will be retained and stabilised with minor modification for a new deck made out of durable and robust fibre reinforced polymer.
The new bridge is proposed with no external lighting on the advice of the council’s ecologist.
The planning reference is 22/04946/FUL The deadline for comments is 29th January.
