Hundreds of tonnes of concrete poured under Victorian Great Musgrave railway bridge will have to be removed after being refused retrospective planning permission by Eden District Council (DC).
image: By RuthAS – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=50687148
… NH will not appeal against Eden District Council’s refusal…
BBC News writes:
National Highways (NH) carried out the work at Great Musgrave, Cumbria, in July 2021 to stabilise the structure.
The government’s road agency said the reinforcement was essential for public safety but critics branded the move “cultural vandalism”.
NH will not appeal against Eden District Council’s refusal.
It had said the bridge, built in 1862, was at risk of collapse if used by heavy vehicles but opponents claimed it could hold lorries weighing up to 44 tonnes.
More than 800 people had raised objection to the work.
Phil Dew, chairman of Upper Eden Railway Heritage Partnership, described it as a “case of cultural vandalism and desecration of a highly valued structure”.
Ali Ross, a Green Party councillor on the council’s planning committee, said the loss of a “wildlife corridor” beneath the bridge was a major concern.
The plan had been recommended for refusal by planning officers ….
NH previously said that if the 1,500 tonnes of concrete had to be removed the bridge would still need strengthening at an estimated cost of £431,000.
