A 'Meccano' bridge too far

IT WAS in 2012 that development of 34 acres adjacent to the Cotgrave Country Park and flanked by the Grantham Canal was agreed, writes Pam Pickett.

The site being that of the erstwhile Cotgrave Colliery that closed in the early 1990's.

No bridge built

The Hollygate Park estate has now been completed by Barratt's and David Wilson homes. The promised bridge over the canal, to make ease of access, and incidentally safer access to the village for residents of the estate, has not.

Firstly it appears the problems here relate to a refusal on the part of the Canal & River Trust, Rushcliffe Borough Council and Cotgrave Town Council to take responsibility for the maintenance of the bridge.  Secondly, to the structure of the bridge itself.

The design of the bridge, quickly dubbed the 'Meccano' bridge, is not only considered to be out of place for the Grantham Canal, having a stepped approach it also fails to take into consideration the multi usage expected of a footbridge today.

Access extremely difficult

In it's current format it not only precludes the disabled, it would also make access by mothers with pushchairs extremely difficult.  Strange that the stepped design appears to be for the prevention of use by cyclists.

A major concern for the Grantham Canal Society is that once a more suitable design is brought to the table it will be of sufficient span, and height, and for the residents of the Hollygate Park Estate and Cotgrave Town Council that the bridge will be suitable for the area, and for all that need to use it.

A case of watch this space, as the formally rejected bridge is again returned to the planners.