1. Bell Bridge a. Briefing of the bridge - The bridge was rebuilt in 1772, after the original Bell Bridge collapsed in 1771. This bridge then collapsed in January 2016, after the Desmond storm in December 2015. - It was a grade II structure. - Costed roughly £1.1m. - The contract was award to Capita by Cumbria County Council in March 2017 - It was repaired in 2017 and reopened on December 2017, 2 years after the flood. - The reparation includes the repairing of Bell Lonning (the road besides it). - Old bridge vs new bridge - - - 3 options of design o Option 1 – Masonry Arch Bridge o Option 2 – Reinforced Concrete Elliptical Arch Bridge o Option 3 – Composite Steel Beam/Concrete Bridge Requirement from government o Bell Bridge is a vital link for local residents, be they farmers or persons with other types of businesses in the area. Also the Cumbria Way, an extremely busy long distance walk, is also marked as crossing this bridge. While the former bridge was also a very photogenic 250 year old bridge which was photographed regularly by all who passed it, there is a realisation that a new bridge will have to be of a more practical nature, but with a hope that the original stone, most of which was saved, can be reused to face the bridge o Aesthetic value: the ways in which people draw sensory and intellectual stimulation from a place; o Communal value: the meanings of a place for the people who relate to it, or for whom it figures in their collective experience or memory; o Evidential value: the potential of a place to yield evidence about past human activity; o Historical value: the ways in which past people, events and aspects of life can be connected through a place to the present (this tends to be illustrative or associative). Uses reclaimed stones and local sand stones Cut down 9 trees and plants 18 to compensate (Policy 6) 1 2. Pooley Bridge 3. Briefing of the bridge - It was built in 1764, destroyed due to a flood in the area in 2015. - February 2016, work started to remove stone and debris from the river, at the same time salvage them so that they can be used in the reconstruction and future project. - 20 March 2016, a temporary bridge was installed while waiting for the new construction. - Photo of the old bridge & temporary bridge - 2 4. Timeline for work on the new bridge - July 2017: Knight Architects (Infrastructure Architect of the Year 2017), has been awarded the contract to deliver this work - July – September 2017: Open public discussion about ideas and worries of the people about the new bridge. - The three designs proposed in these boards have some common design aspects: o The bridge should be high quality, aesthetically pleasant and sympathetic with the environment and a contribution to the identity of the village. o The bridge must not contribute to further flooding and should preferably help to reduce flood risk. It should also withstand future floods. o Construction must happen with as little disruption and as quickly as possible. (within October – Easter to avoid tourism season). o The bridge should allow for free open views to landscape in both directions. o The bridge should be a safe crossing for all users. It will have a single vehicular lane controlled with traffic lights and two side walkways specific for pedestrians. These walkways are proposed to widen towards the bridge center to create areas to stop and enjoy the views (or to play Pooh sticks). o The designs should incorporate part of the stone of the old bridge, but not in a structural way. o The new bridge won’t be noisy as the temporary one is. - Based on the above, the following 3 designs were proposed (https://cumbria.gov.uk/elibrary/Content/Internet/536/6181/42991142921.PDF) - Option C were eventually selected as the new bridge design based on community vote and based on the fact that it was easy to assemble, did not block the view from sides of the river and it can be put in place easily upon completion. April 2018: Contractor announced for Pooley Bridge, start of field survey and surrounding area inspection. July 2018: Meeting with community to discuss about the design, the work and progress of things. Further plans updates were as followings. - 3 Oct 18 Dec 18 Jan 19 - January 2019, the final design of the bridge was also revealed. - Close up view. - From January to September of 2019, the following works were done: o Obtaining permission from landlord in surrounding area. o Close some car park to gain space for construction work. o Close of the temporary road bridge, leaving a foot bridge instead. From September of 2019 to May 2020, the construction of the new bridge were done: o Excavation to the formation level of the bridge. o Create new foundation for the bridge. o Other construction and assemble works. May 7 2020, the new Pooley bridge was lifted into its place, being the first stainless steel road bridge in the UK. Expected completion look: - - 4 5. Citizen feedback from July to September 2017. (https://cumbria.gov.uk/elibrary/Content/Internet/536/6181/4299114239.PDF) - What did you like most about the old bridge: Aesthetics, traditional values. - The absence of the bridge is: Inconvenience (functionally) and emotional loss. - What did the temporary bridge not replace since the old bridge was washed away: Aesthetics, charm, history value. - Biggest concern for the project: Finishing time and disruption during summer (it has been 1.5 years in at this point and constructions were not announced), sense of place and aesthetically pleasant. - Hope for the new bridge: Aesthetically pleasant, an icon by itself, tourist attraction, not disrupting village business, route for pedestrians. 5
