Long wait for bridge repairs

HENLEY’S MP has said it could be years before Marsh Lock Horsebridge is re-opened.

Freddie van Mierlo said the project to replace it has progressed but funding has not yet been secured.

The footbridge, which links the Thames Path between Henley and Shiplake, was closed by the Environment Agency in May 2022, following complaints about its condition.

The Henley Standard revealed a year ago that the agency was developing a partnership funding strategy to replace the bridge that could comprise grant applications and local fundraising.

The agency secured £500,000 for developing plans for the replacement work for both the bridge at Marsh Lock and also Temple Bridge in Marlow.

The agency has a completion date for the design phase of the scheme of March 31 next year. Funding for the repairs is expected to cost in the region of £2.5m but more will be known following the initial investigations.

Speaking to the Henley Standard, Mr van Mierlo said: “One of the things that has gone with this in the past has been a lack of communication with the public around how long projects of this nature can take.

“It’s really important that the Environment Agency and I are forthright in describing how long the bridge will remain closed for and the uncertainty around it.

“There’s a long way to go but we continue to move forward and that’s the main thing. From my experience in the past working on public projects, the hardest thing is getting it going and we have done that.

“I will do everything I can to support the Environment Agency to find the funding. How long it will take, I don’t know but I am confident we can do it. Setting expectations is important, and the road untravelled is likely to be years, not months.”

A fundraising plan, project plan and a report of the costs from the agency was supposed to be delivered to Henley Town Council last month but this has still not been delivered due to a “mix-up” of the dates. Mr van Mierlo said he was currently pushing the agency for a fundraising action plan and it has now appointed an engineering consultant to oversee the engineering plans required for the construction phase.

This will also include exploring the possibilities of weir protections such as guard-rails around the bridge to prevent wayward boats from hitting it after being carried from the powerful rushing water.

The agency has also set up a microsite where progress updates can be monitored as they happen which aims to provide residents with a way to track developments.

In a letter to a constituent Mr van Mierlo said that despite getting the design stage off the ground “the future is still uncertain”. He said: “Implementation will need to be funded through ‘partnership’ with other organisations. The Environment Agency has appointed further staff to the project experienced in identifying and raising external funding and will work tooth and nail with them to raise this money. While the timetable may at first appear lengthy, it is important to get it right. I am conscious that this is a dangerous section of the river and the bridge will be used by a wide range of people.”

Henley’s MP defended the progress made on the issue so far. “In comparison to previous inaction, within just 12 months of my election, there has been a major shift,” he said. “The question of ownership and responsibility for the bridge has been resolved, funding has been secured to begin work and the project is now underway.”

In the meantime, Mr van Mierlo has said that he is facilitating talks between the Culden Faw Estate and the Environment Agency to try and see if the short diversion route previously installed could be reopened.

The estate had withdrawn the route due to a lack of action, in the hope it would spur the agency into action. A 2.7-mile diversion was then put in between Lower Shiplake to Mill Lane in Henley, which takes walkers one hour and
15 minutes and involves crossing the A4155 twice.

A spokesman for the Environment Agency said the project was at the design stage and it was commissioning a contractor for future phases of the project, including construction.

He said: “Henley Town Council has helped us develop our partnership funding strategy. Once the design has been completed and funding secured, we will publish a schedule for the completion of this project.”