Engineers, council officers and highways experts are asking for thoughts from residents about a project to build a new bridge between Ashchurch and Northway.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government awarded Tewkesbury Borough Council £8.1m to deliver a bridge that will unlock parcels of land to the east of the railway line which are highlighted in the Garden Town Concept Masterplan (along with land to the west of the railway) as development opportunities. It will include a new road, cycle path and walkway.
Tewkesbury Borough Council and its partners – Gloucestershire County Council and engineering consultants, Atkins – have carried out a considerable amount of research into the location and design of the bridge and now they want to hear what the public thinks of the proposals. Comments received will be considered in advance of the bridge’s planning application and will help to inform the project team’s next steps.
There will be a more formal opportunity to submit further views later in the year, as part of the official planning application consultation.
Tewkesbury Borough Council’s lead member for planning, Councillor Mel Gore, said: “The Tewkesbury Garden Town project gives us a golden opportunity to create a special place for people to live – a proper community with homes fit for the future. This bridge is one of the first steps in the infrastructure needed to support the Garden Town and it’s exciting to get the ball rolling.
“We had planned to hold two events: one in Northway and one in Ashchurch, where the proposals on the bridge would have been displayed, and where we would have provided the opportunity to discuss the project with members of the Garden Town team. However, due to the current restrictions on public gatherings, we need to do things differently.
“Our website – tewkesburygardentown.co.uk – is complete with all the information that is publicly available on the bridge project. It includes the drawings, proposed location, and background information that would have been provided at the events. If you have any views to share with us, we ask that you take a look at the website, examine the drawings, read through the background information and then submit your feedback to us using the online form.
“We want to hear from anyone and everyone who is interested in the area – particularly the younger generation who will be our future residents – as well as members of the local community, business owners and workers.”
A letter has been sent to residents in the Ashchurch and Northway areas to outline the project with local people, provide details on where to find more information about the bridge and appeal for feedback on the proposals.
The council is welcoming feedback up until Friday, 12 June 2020.
Anyone unable to access tewkesburygardentown.co.uk can call the council on 01684 295010 or email customerservices@tewkesbury.gov.uk – ask for the ‘Garden Town programme team’.
Photo credit: Tewkesbury Borough Council
