The temporary footbridge planned for Burston will not be installed before Christmas, despite approval now being granted.
Persistent wet weather has left the ground too unstable for crews to begin work.
Deadline slips as conditions worsen
Staffordshire County Council had hoped to reopen Sandon and Burston Public Footpath 36 by the end of the year.
However, prolonged rain and soft ground conditions mean heavy machinery cannot be brought in safely, forcing the installation to be pushed into the New Year.
Permission from the Environment Agency, which the council applied for in August, has only recently been granted.
That approval is a legal requirement and must be in place before any work can begin.
The route has been closed since the original bridge was dislodged into the River Trent.
While a new permanent bridge is planned, with funding secured and design work under way, the temporary structure is intended to restore public access sooner.
Work now expected early in the New Year
The council says engineers will continue to monitor the site closely over the coming weeks.
Once conditions improve and the ground becomes stable enough, teams are ready to move in and complete the installation.
Hayley Coles, Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Culture, told A Little Bit of Stone:
“Our hope was to reopen the footpath by the end of the year, but given the time it’s taken to get approval coupled with the recent prolonged wet weather, it would not be safe or responsible to go ahead right now.
“I share the frustration of residents about this but, rest assured, our crews are ready to start work as soon as possible. The good news is that we now have the green light we need to install the temporary bridge. As soon as the ground is stable enough, our engineers will be on site to get the footpath open again. We will share a further update as soon as this happens.
“I want to thank the community for their patience as we continue to work towards making the route safe.”
Reaction from the community
Local campaigner Nigel Bowden, who has followed the issue closely, expressed disappointment at the latest delay.
He told A Little Bit of Stone:
“It’s incredibly disappointing that the end of year deadline for the temporary bridge has been missed. This is yet another in a series of disappointments around the handling of the bridge issue by Staffordshire County Council over the last two years.
“Local residents who have been anticipating this access being open for the New Year will be bitterly disappointed by the Council’s lack of progress.”
Footpath 36 between the River Trent and Burston Lane remains closed for safety reasons.
Walkers will now be waiting for conditions to improve in the New Year so that installation can begin.
2 comments
Alan Jordan
Utterly disgusting, excuse after excuse since OCTOBER 2023 . Replacement of a footbridge should not take almost 3 years, which it will be by the time work is able to begin.
Greg Spencer
Seems to me that putting a temporary bridge in place is a waste of money in the long term. It should be permanently replaced straight away. It also seems to me that this fudge means the temporary bridge will become a permanent bridge due to lack of interest and/or money from the county council. I suspect we will not see a permanent solution in our lifetime. The Victorians would have built a grand bridge to last a hundred years or more!