'Conserving our town's heritage should take precedence' Derbyshire council to demolish century-old railway footbridge amid outcry

Built in 1870, Lea Road Bridge is regarded one of the most significant engineering feats accomplished by the Midland Railway, and a lasting reminder of how the Victorian transport revolution reshaped life in the Drone Valley.

But when it was granted grade II listed status in 2014, that legal protection did not include a 45-metre wooden ramp running from the top of the bridge down to the station.

Historic England dated the ramp to the early 20th century and decided it was “not of special architectural or historic interest,” despite the county council submitting evidence that a pedestrian walkway of broadly similar design may have been part of the original bridge scheme, and that the ramp itself is today a rare surviving example of particular construction techniques.

The ramp was closed in 2018 after being deemed unsafe for continued public use, and is now judged to be at risk of a potentially dangerous collapse.

Nonetheless, for some local residents it still represents an inseparable part of the town’s historic character – standing in a designated conservation area – and reports that the ramp was due to be demolished in November have stirred upset in the community in recent weeks.

On Wednesday, October 23, county representatives sat down with the counterparts from Dronfield Town Council, the Civic Society and Friends of Dronfield Station to clarify the situation.

Councillor Charlotte Cupit, cabinet member for highways assets and transport, said: “We are very aware that many local people have strong views about the ramp, on both the heritage and road safety aspects, and we do understand these views which is why we're trying to work with local organisations and groups and to set out why we sadly have to demolish the ramp.

“Its condition has deteriorated further and now needs to be taken down. It has gone beyond repair and the cost of a replacement is too great – in the hundreds of thousands – and would put undue pressure on our already very stretched budget for highway maintenance covering the whole county.”

She added: “All schemes have to be prioritised and unfortunately we hope residents will understand we cannot justify the level of expenditure on a replacement, when there are alternative paths, if it means having to cancel important other maintenance projects like highway resurfacing across the county.”

While DCC has made its intentions clear, the authority still has to secure planning permission for the demolition.

It may take some time to reach that stage, given it is not immediately clear whether the county council has the relevant powers.

Instead, it could be a decision for North East Derbyshire District Council, or likely some combination of the two authorities, and will requires the cooperation of Network Rail, which owns land beneath the ramp.

The planning process is therefore expected to take at least eight weeks once any application is submitted, giving residents an official opportunity to voice their points of view.

That means it could be the New Year before the wrecking ball moves in, though DCC is continually monitoring the structure’s safety and could take action without permission if it becomes an emergency situation.

But after an online petition was launched this week, more than 500 signatories have already signalled their opposition.

Resident Sallyanne Akitt, who created the petition, said: “It’s a part of the town's cultural heritage and has stood the test of time. Destroying it would be robbing the town of a symbol of its past and a useful path for pedestrians. Conserving our town's heritage should take precedence over the cost of repairs.”

Recognising such local sentiments, Cllr Alex Dale, who represents the town at county level, convened the meeting on Wednesday to allow dialogue between the main interested parties.

He said: “I know from a number of conversations with local residents that people feel very strongly about the ramp and I do too.

“In an ideal world, I’d love to see it replaced like for like to preserve Dronfield’s history and for it to be re-opened to the public. But I know that it isn’t as simple as that sadly and there are a number of complex factors to consider.”

He added: “I’m pleased the meeting was constructive and we were able to discuss, query and challenge all the options that had been considered to deliver a replacement.”

Although the loudest arguments concern the bridge’s aesthetic and historic importance, there are secondary issues over the alternative pedestrian routes currently available.

DCC’s hopes of installing an equivalent structure with modern materials were dashed by the cost estimates submitted by potential contractors when the project was put out to tender.

Cllr Dale has told residents that there is no legal requirement to provide a ramp, and it does not have formal right of way status.

The long proposed electrification of the rail line adds a further complication. If it ever happens, it would mean altering the height of the bridge and resolving responsibility for the ramp between DCC and Network Rail.

In the meantime, the county council has now agreed to revisit some of the concerns raised by residents.

Cllr Dale said: “The most pressing issue I think for many people is safety and particularly the safety of school children using the platform and railway footbridge as a shortcut.

“Network Rail and the operators, who are the responsible organisations, absolutely must take steps to improve safety and I’m pleased the county council have agreed to work with the community to lobby them to address these very real concerns as soon as possible. We will be seeking a further meeting with them in the near future and I will keep residents informed of the progress.”

In response, Cllr Cupit added: “There is another way to cross the railway track by pavement a short distance away. We listened to the concerns raised at the meeting around the width of the pavement and the standard of the crossing at the junction of Lea Road and we’ve committed to looking again at improvement plans to make this route safer.

“We also understand that some people are concerned about school children using the station as a cut-through so we’ve committed to working with the town council and the other groups present to support their work in encouraging Network Rail and the operators to pursue potential mitigations to improve safety around the platform and footbridge, which is under their remit.”

Cllr Dale intends to share updates on the planning process as details are confirmed via facebook.com/CllrAlexDale.

To view and sign the community petition, go to change.org/SaveDronfieldsWoodenFootbridge.

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