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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.

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 will still need Government approval and so needs 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. Most of the recent work has gone into examining shorter crossings, joining the old power station site with West Quay Road across the Backwater Channel.

Jock Robertson, who has led the KPMG team, said,

"If Poole is serious about a second harbour crossing, it must convince the Government that it can produce a scheme which is affordable, resolves the traffic problems, opens up development opportunities and meets its criteria on environmental safety. Our conclusion is that this will probably mean a second bridge across the Backwater Channel. There is still a lot of work to be done before the Council can submit its proposals to the Government for approval. It is likely that the second bridge will be a modern, fast-operating lifting bridge and, with modern traffic management systems, we can make sure that traffic keeps moving because one of the bridges will always be open to traffic."

Both consultants have stressed that these new ideas could open up more opportunities for Poole than the previous scheme ever could.

Terence O’Rourke said,

"When the Government dropped the high level, long bridge, it probably did Poole a big favour. That bridge was only designed to take traffic away from the port as quickly as possible. These new ideas can transform Poole because they will bring forward substantial amounts of land for development and will tie in Lower Hamworthy to the Town Centre. There will be a rejuvenated and lively quarter of the town and these new bridge proposals are the key to making it happen."

Cllr Bob Williams, Chairman of the Council’s Planning and Transportation Committee, welcomed the broad thrust of the consultants work.

"I want to see the Central Area of Poole as a vibrant, people friendly place which is a beautiful place for people to live, work and visit. I think that the proposals for a second bridge can help with that. The consultants work has also given important insights into what the Central Area of Poole could be like and I want to make sure that we consult with local people to hear their views."

The outcome of the consultants work will be considered by Councillors when they review the next version of the Local Plan at Planning and Transportation Committee on 3 May 2000. The whole of that Plan is then ‘on deposit’ for six weeks when representations will be received. In addition, the Council is proposing a variety of public consultation events during May and June and will also be discussing the ideas with local landowners and businesses.

The Council will need to submit its proposals for a second harbour crossing in the Local Transport Plan to the Government in July. An indication of whether the Government will support the scheme is hoped for by the end of the year.

Once a new harbour crossing is given the go-ahead, work on site would begin in about five years time. 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.

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 21 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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