Cabinet, on 16 November 2022, resolved to:

1.   Grant project approval to award a contract for the refurbishment/repair of the gasworks pipe bridge;

2.    Recommend to Council the approval of a virement of £1.82 million from the existing stock condition budget to fund the works to the gasworks pipe bridge, including reimbursement of c£185k feasibility cost incurred to date; and

3.    Delegate authority to the Executive Director (Development), in consultation with the Deputy Leader (Statutory) – Finance and Asset Management and the Head of Financial Services/Section 151 Officer, to award the contract for refurbishment/repair of the gasworks pipe bridge to a successful tenderer following the completion of the competitive and compliant tender process described in the report.

To award a contract for the refurbishment of the Gasworks Pipe Bridge to B&M McHugh Ltd following the completion of a competitive and compliant tender process.

A structural assessment on the Gasworks Pipe Bridge identified sections of the bridge as being unsafe through aging or non-compliance to current standards. The most critical aspect highlighted in the assessment related to the truss, including its connections, indicating it has inadequate capacity to carry crowd loading and is at risk of sudden collapse without warning.

Refurbishment of the Gasworks Pipe Bridge will enable its continued use as a public amenity, in accordance with the Cabinet decision of 16 November 2022.

An options appraisal was carried out initially and was presented in the Cabinet report of 16 November 2022.  This included the following options:

• Option 1: Demolish existing bridge and build new bridge on existing footprint.

• Option 2: Strengthen and refurbish existing bridge (steelwork and repair of precast concrete deck planks).

• Option 3: No changes to existing bridge. Build new bridge to the east or west of existing Bridge.

• Option 4: Strengthen and refurbish existing bridge (steelwork) and replace existing concrete deck.

The decision was made by Cabinet to pursue option 4.

Decision taken by Tom Bridgman, Executive Director (Development) in consultation with Councillor Ed Turner, Deputy Leader (Statutory) – Finance and Asset Management and Nigel Kennedy, Head of Financial Services.