By Joe Locker, Local Democracy Reporter
Plans for an 87 metre-long pedestrian and cycle bridge over the River Trent have been recommended for approval.
A full planning application was submitted by Nottingham City Council in February, following lengthy delays.
The new bridge will link the Trent Basin area west of Trent Lane, off Daleside Road in the city, to the south bank of the river close to the Hook nature reserve in Lady Bay, Rushcliffe.
It will become the first new crossing built over the river in the city in 65 years.
Consultancy firm Pick Everard will deliver the bridge project alongside infrastructure group Balfour Beatty.
Plans have now been recommended for approval by council officers and will be considered at a Nottingham City Council Planning Committee meeting on April 17.
“The proposed development would significantly improve the opportunity for north-south accessibility over the river,” documents say.
“It would be of particular benefit to existing and future residents of the Trent Basin and Waterside developments in general, providing pedestrian and cycle access to the south side of the river and its large areas of open space and recreation.
“It would also allow for safer pedestrian and cycle access into the city from the south as an alternative to the vehicle-dominated Trent and Lady Bay bridge crossings.
“It should also be seen as an important development in the sequence of bridge crossings over the river, extending the opportunity for the public enjoyment of the riverside environment as well as providing the incentive for the further development of the Waterside area, including the implementation of further sections of the riverside path along its northern edge.”
Money for the bridge, which is expected to cost around £12m, will come from the Department for Transport (DfT) Transforming Cities Fund.
The ‘network arch-style’ bridge will be four metres in width, up from the previously proposed 3.5 metres, following a consultation.
An online survey received a total of 1,198 responses, with 83 per cent supporting the scheme, 65 per cent supporting the proposed location, and 75 per cent liking the proposed design.
The Nottingham Civic Society also says it “wholeheartedly supports” the plans alongside other groups including Pedals and Nottingham Friends of the Earth.
The land on the north side of the river forms part of housing developer Blueprint’s Trent Basin site, which will deliver approximately 350 homes and apartments.
Amphitheatre-style steps will be created at the base of the bridge ramp and, in addition to the main bridge, a connecting bridge over Trent Basin is proposed to provide better connections.
The south side landing, abutments and ramps will fall on Environment Agency-owned embankment land which forms a bank between the path and the river.
The council is currently in the process of acquiring part of this land to build and maintain the scheme.
Directly adjacent to the proposed scheme is land owned by Nottinghamshire Sports Properties Limited, which is used as sports fields by a number of organisations making up the Nottinghamshire Sports Club (NSC) including Nottingham Rugby and Nottinghamshire County Cricket.
The development also falls within Rushcliffe Borough Council’s administrative area, so this council will also need to give permission before work can actually start.
The city council told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that, while it cannot comment because it is both the applicant and planning authority, it is waiting to hear from Rushcliffe Borough Council as to when it will go to its planning committee.
