Vale of Clwyd MP Dr James Davies, who is supporting residents’ calls for the replacement of Llanerch Bridge, has been encouraged by a response he has received from the Welsh Minister for Climate Change, Julie James MS, after writing to her calling on the Welsh Government to indicate whether it will be providing funding for the works.
In January 2021 severe floods associated with Storm Christoph almost entirely destroyed the Grade II listed road bridge, which provided a vital link between the villages of Tremeirchion and Trefnant and beyond.
Since that time, James has been working with local councillors and residents in a bid to ensure it is replaced.
After attending the last public meeting on the matter, on June 15th at the White House in Rhuallt, James wrote to the Welsh Minister, Julie James MS, asking her to “expedite a funding decision (from the Welsh Government) and streamline the process”.
He received a response in which the Minister suggested that there would be a decision taken by the Welsh Government soon. He understands that an offer of initial funding towards the detailed design stage for the bridge has since been made to Denbighshire County Council.
In his letter to the Minister, which was sent on June 27th, James stated:
“As you will be aware, in January 2021 severe floods associated with Storm Christoph almost entirely destroyed the Grade II listed road bridge. Not only was this a devastating loss of history and architecture but it also removed a vital link between the villages of Tremeirchion and Trefnant and beyond.
“Since its destruction, I have repeatedly met residents, local councillors and council officers and made strong representations in an attempt to seek a rapid replacement of this important piece of infrastructure.
“However, as I write today, the reality is that, almost two and a half years later, there remains no firm reassurance that a replacement bridge will be constructed in the near future.
“I appreciate that there are many complexities surrounding plans to replace the bridge. There are also a range of views surrounding exactly what form the replacement bridge should take. However, understandably, many in the local community are becoming increasingly concerned and frustrated by the lengthy process and lack of visible progress.
“Not only are residents unhappy about increased journey times and the associated costs but there is concern about the impact on response times for emergency vehicles to reach their homes. Carers and District Nurses are also being impacted by the diversions in place. I understand that the council is due to conclude the initial scoping stage of the project imminently and are estimating that a new bridge will cost in the order of £9 million.
“A detailed design stage is the necessary next step in the process and the council states that this will take 12 months to complete, at a cost of £700,000 to £800,000. I believe that work thus far has been funded from the council’s own budget but they have indicated that further costs will require assistance from the Welsh Government. It has been suggested that the “Resilience Fund” may be appropriate for this purpose and that discussions have been taking place with your officials in this regard.
“I would be grateful if you could confirm that this is the case and give an indication of the likely timescale for any decision to be made. Clearly, the council could proceed with a detailed design stage, initially “at risk” from its own budget, but it would need reasonable reassurance of likely success – both in securing funding towards that cost, but also the eventual much greater cost of the bridge itself.
“I would also ask that you note my wholehearted support for the replacement of the bridge, which will reunite two communities and provide a vital link road for residents. Residents and I will be extremely grateful for any assistance you can provide to expedite a funding decision and streamline the process from now until completion."
Trefnant ward Conservative County Councillor James Elson added:
"I am pleased as we see the likely progress to phase two - the design phase - but will be disappointed should this phase again be carried out by a national company and not local civil engineers.
"We need to support local businesses and not pay over the odds at the taxpayers' expense.
"The timescales continue to disappoint also. Even taking account of the complexity of the situation, over five years to replace a bridge remains unacceptable."
