£5 million plan to repair damaged railway bridge could lead to more disruption for Whaley Bridge residents

An application has been submitted to High Peak Borough Council (HPBC) for Listed Building Consent for a proposed partial reconstruction of a historic railway bridge in the town.

The BEJ42 bridge carries the Buxton to Edgeley Junction railway line over the A5004 Buxton Road.

Network Rail, and its predecessor Railtrack, have been aware of a crack in the outer cast iron span of the bridge since 2002, the application states.

Derbyshire County Councillor for Whaley Bridge, Ruth George, said: “It obviously needs fixing and it is important we have a safe and fit for purpose structure.

“It is going to cost Network Rail around £5m to do the work so it is a huge project and one they are taking seriously.

"My concern is for the residents and business of Whaley Bridge as Network Rail will need to close the road to allow the work to happen.”

Mrs George explained Network Rail were looking to locate portable cabins for the work force on Buxton Road which would result in an 11-week closure. However, she says she is in talks with a landowner to provide a space for the cabins off the road so the closure would only be for around two weeks with the diversion being via Chapel-en-le-Frith.

She said: “The businesses have gone through so much, first Covid, then the closure of the Buxton to Whaley road so if we can avoid another long closure that would be great.”

The road will still have to close for a minimum of two weeks while the repair works take place and Mrs George says she expects temporary traffic lights to be in force from January 9 2023 to the end of March.

Trains will also stop running for almost two weeks in mid February while the repair works happen.

The problems with the bridge have been ongoing for many years.

An application for Listed Building Consent to replace the bridge with a modern span was submitted by Network Rail in 2010.

This was refused by HPBC in 2011, and subsequently dismissed at appeal later that same year.

The reason for refusal was because the application failed to fully justify the significant harm to the listed structure.

However, more than a decade on, another planning application has been submitted which if approved would see a replacement of load-bearing cast iron spans with Corten steel, and retention of non-load bearing span, with ancillary repairs and alterations.

Applicant Network Rail, which owns the bridge, said: “This application seeks consent for the replacement of the live span and refurbishment of the redundant span, which would enable the temporary speed restriction and weight limits to be removed.

”The new span would also remove the risk of catastrophic failure associated with the crack.”

The line is a passenger and freight route connecting stations at Buxton, Dove Holes, Chapel-en-le-Frith, Whaley Bridge, Furness Vale, New Mills New Town, Disley, Middlewood, Hazel Grove, Woodsmoor and Davenport to the wider railway network at Stockport and the line into Manchester.

In a statement submitted with the application, Network Rail said: “The crack in the cast iron span has resulted in the imposition of a temporary speed restriction and weight limit over the bridge in order to mitigate the risk of the crack propagating, which could result in catastrophic bridge failure.

“Limitations have been imposed due to the fragile structure to prevent two freight trains passing simultaneously, and a speed limit is in place of 25mph for freight trains.

“Management of these restrictions is labour intensive and inefficient, and cannot be relied upon as a long-term solution.”

Whaley Bridge resident Martin Petch, wants the bridge’s historic beauty and character retained with the restoration.

He said: “If there was an historic and listed house that needed repairs you wouldn’t flatten it and build a new house - you’d repair the house to keep its historic value.”

Four options for design are still being discussed by Network Rail. These include replacing with half-through deck and the existing edge girders are retained; replacement with half-through deck or replacement with weathering steel arches.

Option 4 comprises the replacement of the eastern side of the bridge with steel arches, with the original cast iron arch on the western side retained.

A Network Rail spokesperson said: “The positive outcome of this hybrid option is that it achieves Network Rail’s operational requirements and compliance with its licence conditions, whilst also retaining a significant proportion of original fabric compared to any viable alternative.

”Whilst this option still would amount to substantial harm to the significance of the listed bridge, it would not result in the total loss of the structure.”

High Peak MP Robert Largan said: “A lot of people depend on the bridge and the road underneath it so yes the repair works need to happen but my strong view is that it needs to happen with the least disruption to residents, commuters and business owners as possible.”

His views were echoed by Whaley Bridge Town Councillor Mike Glover, who said: “Nothing is confirmed yet but we have asked Network Rail to meet with the town council to further discuss the plans for the repairs and road closures.”See the application at www.highpeak.gov.uk and search for HPK/2022/0342.