Castle Cornet Bridge To Be Replaced

Deputies approve a spend of up to £7M to replace the old concrete structure with a like for like model.

The Assembly heard that the bridge that links the Castle Emplacement with Castle Cornet and lighthouse beyond is falling apart.

It was built in the 1950s and has reached the end of its useful life and this has been made worse by storms.

For years, it's been advised not to walk underneath it on low tides, because concrete is falling onto the beach below.

But many deputies questioned the cost, whether they were getting value for money and why the bridge had degraded. These included Deputy Simon Vermeulen:

"I think we should look after our property and I think that should come from the repairs and renewals budget or the harbours.

Whether you've got an airport in Alderney and a runway that needs to be looked after or a bridge down at the castle, they are the same."

Some suggested design improvements, including Deputy Aidan Matthews:

"The main improvements that could be made would be to look at precast concrete, as opposed to In-situ, and that would be vastly cheaper."

Deputy Victoria Oliver, who's a qualified chartered surveyor was exasperated:

"I am loving how many engineers we have in this house.

It is amazing, everyone knows what they are doing.

They're talking about, well, in the UK you drive up the motorway and there are loads of bridges - we could just use one of those maybe!"

Summing up, deputy Peter Roffey reminded members exactly what they were being asked to approve:

"The approximate design of the bridge, in other words, similar to what is there now, but obviously modified to bring it up to date.

And to authorise P&R to be able to use their delegated authority up to a maximum of seven million pounds".