A timescale has been pencilled out for a new bridge over the River Trent which will connect Lady Bay to the vast £100m Trent Basin waterside housing estate near Colwick. It comes after a consultation inviting public discussion has been launched ahead of plans formally being put forward for the bridge.
Now, the process of putting the plans forward has been delayed with work having been done "behind the scenes". Keith Morgan, of Nottingham City Council Transport Strategy, gave an overview of the development during the Nottingham Local Access Forum meeting held on Wednesday (April 27).
He said: "Probably the best way to describe it is that we have been working with an architect. And we have got a design. We are now in a process where we are talking to potential people to build that bridge. So we are working through all the different logistics, the program and the costs, how we will actually get a bridge into that location. They very positive discussions, and it's something that we are currently working through and as a result of this process, we have delayed putting the planning application in."
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More than £9m in Government funding has been secured - and this money is expected to cover the entirety of the project. If all goes to plan, the bridge is hoped to open in 2023.
However, Mr Morgan added: "We were looking to put a planning application in probably around now. But what we want to do is make sure that when we put that plan application in, all those visuals are completely accurate, and we believe that they are, and that they're not going to change a lot from what we've got.
"But there's little tweaks that can come out by involving a different engineer. And someone just maybe taking a second look at what we have designed just to give a sort of input into how we'll actually build that bridge in that location.
"So what we're doing is - we are speaking to the people who are going to build it that would then firm up the fact that we get in a position where we can then sort of move forward and then we will get a planning application later in the year is what we're working towards."
The structure will be the first new bridge over the River Trent since Clifton Bridge opened in 1958. The bridge is designed to make it easier for walkers and cyclists to places such as Colwick Country Park from the south side of the river, connecting Lady Bay and Trent Basin, off Trent Lane, a stretch hundreds of homes are expected to be built.
A planning application is being expected to be put forward by the end of this "calendar year". "Then we will work through that and get it on building as soon as possible", Mr Morgan added.
Committee member Hugh McClintock went on and asked if the planning application would be submitted around September. Mr Morgan added: "I think September is a bit on the positive side. But I am thinking October until November sort of time. As long as we get the planning application within a certain window we are fine in terms of our program."
