Express & Star

£3 million Pelsall canal bridge plan hit by delay

Controversial plans to build a £3 million canal bridge in Pelsall have now been submitted after a three month delay.

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An impression of what the new bridge would look like

A planning application was due to be submitted in May to build a new bridge next to the narrow 1800s York’s Bridge over the Essington and Wyrley Canal.

But because there were so many consultation responses the council pushed it back.

A proposal was thrown out by the Secretary of State in 2015 because it could encroach on common land in Pelsall.

Land at Moat Farm pool was identified for the 2015 scheme together with a strip of land to the east of Norton Road, south of the canal.

Now Walsall Council has identified land at High Bridges, Pelsall, for the scheme.

The current bridge in Pelsall

A consultation was carried out earlier this year. However Robert Vercesi, chairman of the Pelsall Civic Heritage Trust, said that he will object to the plans on behalf of the trust.

While Sheila Lewis, the chairwoman of the Friends of Pelsall Commons, previously said that she supported the plans back in 2015 and was “disappointed” it was not “done and dusted”.

Walsall Council has now said the planning application has been submitted and is in the process of being validated.

Councillor Adrian Andrew, deputy leader of Walsall Council, said the consultation showed “clear support” for the bridge.

He said: “The public consultation undertaken earlier this year showed clear support for this proposed major investment in one of our classified roads.”

The council say if no action is taken the bridge will continue to weaken to the point where closure to all road traffic might have to be considered.

Walsall Council said a start date for construction cannot be ‘tightly defined’, but that construction of the new bridge would take up to 18 months.