Council approves £6m investment for lifting bridges

A council cabinet has recommended a £6m investment into the long-term life and reliability of two Dorset bridges.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council backed the money for Poole Bridge and the Twin Sails, both in Poole, calling them "vital" to daily commutes.

The authority said the recommended improvements would "increase the life of critical components and reduce the need for unplanned repairs".

A final decision on the funding will be taken at the full council meeting on 22 July.

The council said work at Poole Bridge would address corrosion, which had taken place over many years, and protect against it in the future.

Both Poole Bridge and the Twin Sails have been closed multiple times due to technical faults.

The Twin Sails, which connects the town centre with Hamworthy, would benefit from changes to the design of the lifting mechanism, and regular maintenance would "likely continue into the future without the proposed improvements".

Four new digital information panels would also be installed on an upgraded system.

The funding allocation comes entirely from the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), so the improvements would not be funded by council tax.

Upgrades to the bridges would be expected to happen over the next three years.

Portfolio holder for climate response, environment and energy, Andy Hadley, said the recommendations demonstrated commitment to "the thousands of people who use the bridges on a daily basis – whether motorists, pedestrians, wheelers, by bus or on the water".

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