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Multi-million-pound investment
Multi-million-pound bridge improvement programme
A multi-million-pound investment in some of the city’s most iconic and much used bridges has been proposed to deliver necessary repairs and maintenance over a five-year period.
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The works required to six bridges along the New Cut include joint repairs, resurfacing and masonry strengthening to ensure each remains open and safe for many years to come.
The six bridges that make up this proposal are Bath Bridge, Bedminster New Bridge, Bedminster Old Bridge, Gaol Ferry Bridge, Langton Street Footbridge and Vauxhall Footbridge. It’s proposed that the investment begins with works to Gaol Ferry Bridge to replace the structural steel beams, replace the bridge decking, repair some stonework, and repaint the bridge. Should the £1 million funding for the repair and refurbishment works receive Cabinet approval, Gaol Ferry Bridge will completely close in June this year and remain shut for the duration of the works which are expected to last six months. Every effort is being made to complete works and reopen the bridge as soon as possible.
The proposed repairs to the six bridges along the New Cut and sections of the river wall will be discussed and decided on at the upcoming meeting of the Cabinet on Tuesday 10 May. Councillor Don Alexander, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “Each of these bridges provide important car, walking, cycling and public transport routes which contribute greatly to connecting neighbourhoods along the River Avon. This proposed investment emphasises the critical role of each of these bridges and how vital it is that we invest now to ensure they continue to provide safe and useable routes for many years to come. “I am pleased we are in a position to give a concrete approach to how we’ll tackle this challenge and put Gaol Ferry Bridge forward to be the first for refurbishment. Our highways and structures teams have been working on developing the proposed plan for this bridge with a focus on trying to minimise the impact on people who use the bridge and local businesses. This work has ensured that a range of options have been considered and the best possible solution available is being put forward. Although I recognise this will result in some disruption for people we will stay in touch with local businesses and the community to keep everyone updated on the work. The diversions being put in place will be clearly signposted and communicated across all media.”
The diversions planned for the closure will signpost people along routes via Bedminster Bridges and Bathurst Bridge or across Vauxhall Bridge.
These routes have been informed by work carried out earlier this year when officers surveyed people who cross and use the footbridge to find out where they were travelling from and heading to, and the reasons and timings of their journeys. The results are being used to map out the various diversionary routes to minimise disruption while the footbridge is closed. Funding for the proposed repairs and maintenance would come mostly from the recently agreed City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) funding with £500k identified in the existing Highways Capital Budget approved by Full Council in February 2022. IMPROVE
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Council to decide future for Castlewood site
Castlewood site at Clevedon could soon be available for redevelopment to support the town's emerging placemaking strategy, subject to a decision by councillors. North Somerset councillors will be asked to consider the future of the site at the next Council meeting on Tuesday 10 May.
They will be asked to agree to a process which will enable the council to vacate the offices on the site and make it available for redevelopment.
The council purchased the site in 2010 as part of an approach to consolidate activities from multiple buildings to two main office locations. The pandemic has rapidly accelerated the council's ambitions to use its office space more efficiently and effectively, reducing costs and carbon footprint. Cllr Steve Bridger, the council's executive member for assets and capital delivery said: "Like employers across the world, we have transformed how we work with many staff working at least part of their time from home. We no longer need two large office buildings and can save significantly on operating costs and reduce our carbon footprint by releasing the Castlewood site for redevelopment.
"The building has a very poor energy rating and retaining it would make it difficult to achieve our carbon net zero goal and it could become very expensive with rising energy costs."
The Castlewood site accounts for almost 20 per cent of the council’s energy use and approximately 40 per cent of the net annual costs of the building are related to energy usage at the site. These costs are expected to face significant price inflation in coming years. Subject to approval by councillors, council officers will develop options for the future of the site. These could include homes, space for business or a mixed-use development. Before the pandemic, very little of the council's customer contact took place at Castlewood, but the council is keen to make face-to-face services more widely available closer to where people live. Following the approval of a new customer services strategy this week, a pilot scheme will be developed where council officers visit libraries and join the mobile library at locations across North Somerset.
Cllr Bridger added: "We want this decision to be the right one for the people of Clevedon, North Somerset, the local economy and the environment. We are committed to retaining jobs in the area and the council jobs currently located at Castlewood will stay within the North Somerset economy.
"We'll be looking at the redevelopment of the site to secure investment in North Somerset and Clevedon in particular as part of the placemaking strategy for the town which partners in Clevedon have been working on over the past year." Residents can also have an early say on the future of the site by giving their views as part of the council's current consultation on a development programme for land it owns. Castlewood is one of the sites included for potential development. Find out more and take part in the consultation by 9am on Monday 20 June online at www.n-somerset. gov.uk/nscsites. The meeting to discuss Castlewood takes place at 6pm on Tuesday 10 May at the Town Hall in Weston-super-Mare. It will be broadcast on YouTube at www.youtu.be/ ep-N_agUVdA. The meeting agenda is available on the council's website at www.n-somerset.gov.uk/meetings.
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