Church Road Bridge in Barcombe will not be filled with concrete

Church Road bridge in Barcombe, near Lewes, was set to be infilled by National Highways due to fractures appearing over time and concerns over the strength of the bridge.

National Highways said fractures in the 140-year-old bridge, which have been opening and closing over time, were increasing in “width and severity” which suggests that movement in the bridge is increasing.

However, hundreds of campaigners and Barcombe residents opposed the plans saying they wanted to see the bridge repaired “sympathetically” instead.

• READ MORE: 'Cultural vandalism' - outrage over plan to fill 140-year-old bridge with concrete

And after months of campaigning, the 140-year-old bridge’s future is secure, with National Highways saying it has come up with a “new process” for determining how major works on Historic Railways Estate (HRE) are to be done.

Hazel Fell Rayner, a local campaign organiser, said: “We’re obviously delighted to hear that National Highways has listened to the views of residents and councillors, heard the strength of feeling locally and lifted the infill threat.

“From the outset, this was an ill-conceived scheme reflecting a lack of understanding as to the environmental and ecological damage it would have inflicted on a sensitive habitat and its wildlife.

“We now need to ensure that the bridge is repaired sympathetically - reflecting its position within our conservation area as a valued heritage asset - and prevent any reduction in the 20-tonne weight limit currently imposed on vehicles using it.

The bridge was set to be infilled with thousands of tonnes of concrete

“The needs of our farming community must be recognised and we remind council officers that National Highways has an obligation to deliver a capacity of 24 tonnes from this structure. That obligation must be enforced to avert any adverse impact.”

National Highways said the safety of the bridge is its “paramount priority” – along with other parameters such as active travel potential and “ecological value”. The authority will draw up new plans that do not require infilling the bridge.

A spokesman for National Highways said: “All infill plans across the HRE have been paused. On Barcombe Bridge specifically, we are working with the two responsible authorities in the area to understand how the bridge and route may feed into Local Plan policies and also the management of the highway that crosses the bridge in terms of usage and weight restrictions that may be required following assessments being undertaken by East Sussex County Council as highways authority.”

The infilling is currently "paused"

In terms of future works, National Highways state it has a new process for determining how major works will be decided.

The spokesman said: “This is currently in draft but once finalised will be used to assess all structures requiring major work. We intend to review structures against a range of ‘lenses’ which will help us determine their future use potential and value.

“This process will be undertaken on Barcombe, with support from a range of other parties including the local planning authority, and shared with the Stakeholder Advisory Forum for comment before we determine the final plan for the bridge.”

Councillor Zoe Nicholson, leader of Lewes District Council, said: “I think we have made some progress which is that at least infill is now off the table. There is still a way off from being able to determine what the best solution is for the wildlife corridor, the community and bridge users, including local farmers. I was able to be clear that infill is not an option that we at the council would support.”

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