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14 Dec 00

A NEW BRIDGE FOR POOLE

Poole People have won the next round in their fight for a new 21st century bridge following a Government announcement today.

The extra special Christmas present was part of an announcement by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott on local transport which included Poole's proposals for a £20million scheme to build a new lifting bridge and regenerate West Quay Road and Lower Hamworthy.

Announced on the Borough of Poole's website, the decision gives Poole approval to work on detailed proposals for the Bridge and the surrounding development.

Brian Clements, Leader of the Council, said: " People in Poole have been waiting for this day for a long time. We are delighted with this announcement and I would especially like to thank local businesses and residents for their continued support. Everyone should be proud of what has been achieved today - by working together and raising the profile of the campaign local people have helped make the Government realise how important a new bridge is for the whole town. "

He added: "There is still a great deal of hard work to be done and we will be talking to local people about the proposals every step of the way. This scheme offers us the best chance to improve traffic congestion, develop new homes and employment in the town whilst offering new opportunities to develop land such as the power station site and extend areas of the waterfront from Parkstone Bay to Upton Country Park. Poole is a vibrant town - this news gives us the best chance to ensure it continues to remain so for future generations."

Cllr Bob Williams, Deputy Leader of the Council, said: "We have been working with the Government very closely for over a year now. In today's announcement, they have recognised the importance attached to securing a second Poole Bridge and they have said how keen they are to work with us to resolve any outstanding issues to get full approval. They have concluded that with the current timetable we should still see a start on site by 2005. This shows really positive support for our plans for a new harbour crossing. We are on the right road. Let's hope we will soon be on the right bridge. It is the green light to engage with the wider community to once and for all give an opportunity for all residents of Poole to give unconditional support."

Cllr Ann Stribley, Leader of the Conservative Group, said: "I welcome today's news which gives a provisional go-ahead for the new bridge proposals. There is however still a great deal of work to do to ensure a workable highway and traffic management solution which will help realise the aspirations of more than 25,000 local residents who signed the "People's Petition" for our second harbour crossing. It is essential to the Town's future to give improved port access and reduce congestion in the Town Centre and Lower Hamworthy. It is also an opportunity for regeneration of the Town Centre and its environs. We now need the Government to recognise the related urgency of the A31 link and give that matter its sympathetic and urgent attention."

Cllr Brian Ellis, Leader of the Labour Group, said: "At last, good news on the Harbour crossing. Although we were all very disappointed when the previous planned crossing fell through, it had the effect of concentrating minds to produce a scheme which, as well as improving access to the port which is of fundamental importance to the port's future, would bring forward the regeneration of the West Quay area and lower Hamworthy, and increase the integration of the Hamworthy peninsula with the heart of the town. There is the possibility of creating a new waterfront area, which would be one of the most exciting in Europe".

Jeremy Pope, Deputy Chairman of the South West Regional Development Agency (SWeRDA), said: "We believe this is a cracking project. We absolutely support the Council and its objectives for this imaginative regeneration scheme in this important part of the region".

Now the Government have given the new harbour crossing the conditional go-ahead, the Council will be working with Terence O'Rourke plc on more detailed plans including new associated road schemes. Following public consultation in the new year, detailed plans will be submitted to the Government in July 2001and final Government decision on the scheme is expected later in the year. If agreed, work on site could begin in 2005. It will bring the vital re-development of the former power station and other important sites that have been derelict for some while. In the long term it will also bring re-development of the West Quay Road area.

For more information on the new bridge for Poole visit the Borough's website at www.poolebridge.co.uk

EDITOR'S NOTES:
HISTORY
For more than twenty years, the people of Poole have campaigned for an alternative to the lifting bridge which regularly brings costly and miserable delays to the town. In the 1990s their hopes were raised when the Government included a scheme for a new harbour crossing in the national Trunk Road Programme and they sponsored an international design competition. The £40million scheme was intended to link the old power station site in Hamworthy with Holes Bay Road and its main purpose was to improve access to and from the Port.

However, no sooner were the competition results announced (in January 1997), then a review of the Trunk Road Programme was announced and all schemes were put on hold. The results of this review were announced later that year when the Government decided to drop the scheme altogether. Despite massive local support which included a 25,000 signature petition and intense lobbying, the Government confirmed their clear message which was that the solution to the problem of Poole's lifting bridge is to be found locally because it is not considered to be a national concern or priority. So it was left to Poole Council to pick up the pieces and start again.

APPOINTMENT OF CONSULTANTS
In 1999, Councillors from all political parties agreed to intensify their effort to find a solution. The Council agreed that they should bring in new ideas and appointed two sets of consultants to advise them. They are the London based KPMG and the locally based Terence O'Rourke plc. They have been working with the Council for several months. Their brief has been to re-examine all options for a second harbour crossing and advise on the implications for Poole and its town centre area in particular.

CONSULTANTS' CONCLUSIONS
The consultants examined over thirteen different types of option for a second crossing. These ranged from doing nothing to various types of bridges and tunnels. They stressed that, even though the Government has said that this is a local scheme, it would still need Government approval and so needed to meet their criteria.

The consultants work discounted many options on the grounds of cost and environmental impact. These included ideas of a tunnel and long bridge on the lines of the previous Government proposal. From the proposals and following consultation with residents, local land owners and businesses in May and June this year, a short low level lifting bridge across Back Water Channel, connecting the old power station site to West Quay road was chosen as the preferred scheme. The Council submitted its proposals for a second harbour crossing in the Local Transport Plan to the Government in July.

A LIFTING BRIDGE IN THE 21ST CENTURY
A second new state of the art lifting bridge will allow traffic to flow as well as be attractive and safe for pedestrians and cyclists. It will open up the opportunity to extend the quaysides on both sides of Backwater Channel, providing a setting for new development by avoiding the impact of road ramps which would be required to access a higher level fixed bridge.

A lifting bridge will also protect the options for the future and the interests of those accessing the water of Holes Bay. Such flexibility is a key principle of sustainability and one which can help launch Poole into the 21st Century. Similar reasons are behind the three lifting bridges currently being designed and built to link Canary Wharf to the rest of London's Docklands.

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Michelle Holland, Public Relations Officer, tel: (01202) 633295