Councillors in Havant have agreed to pause plans to build a footbridge at Warblington station due to rising costs and infrastructure priorities.
At a cabinet meeting yesterday (Wednesday 17 July), members approved the closure of the project unless a stronger business case – both financially and in terms of an access need – can be demonstrated.
Plans to install a footbridge over the railway at Southleigh Road were first proposed to provide a safe route for pedestrians when the level crossing gates were closed. The council began work with Network Rail to scope the feasibility of the project and sought additional investment from outside agencies including the Department for Transport to co-fund the project.
Since the proposal to build the bridge was put forward though, a shared cycle route between Southleigh Road and Havant station has been constructed. This provides a safer and more direct route to and from Havant.
It was initially estimated that the bridge would cost around £3.5million to build, with Havant Borough Council committing just over £2 million from its Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) budget.
Despite extensive negotiations, it has not been possible for Havant Borough Council to obtain investment from any third parties to close the £1.5million funding gap.
So far, the council has spent almost £300k on design work for the project. The cabinet heard that the next design stage of the project would cost the council a further £550,000 as well as potentially identifying issues that could further increase the overall cost of the scheme.
Cabinet Lead for Environment and Water Quality, Councillor Grainne Rason, said: “This isn’t a decision that has been taken lightly because we know that many in the community wanted this project to go ahead and we want to do all that we can to encourage people to use public transport and to make it as safe and easy as we can for them.
“However, the reality is that the funding gap of £1.5M combined with escalating costs in the engineering sector and the potential for further complications on this project mean that it is not financially viable for us to continue at this stage.
“While the cycle track has reduced the need for a bridge by providing a quicker, safe route for pedestrians, the design work already carried out and our continued dialogue with Network Rail means that we are ready to revive this project should the financial situation change.”
The funds allocated to the Warblington footbridge project but not yet spent will go back into the Community Infrastructure Levy budget to be reallocated to other infrastructure projects in the borough.