FROME Town Council has discussed the building of a new footbridge over the river at Adderwell linking the Edmund Park estate to the town. The council will approach Mendip District Council for the funds to build the new bridge.
The project, which would see Edmond Park linked to the town for the safety and convenience of residents, was previously discussed last August. At the time, the Friends of the River Frome presented their work on the plans for a bridge.
At the full town council meeting held on Wednesday 18th January, town councillors supported plans to ask Mendip District Council for the funding that will come out of a budget allocated for the development when it began, known as S106. Section 106 money are contributions which can be sought from developers towards the cost of providing community and social infrastructure.
Business manager at Frome Town Council, Sarah Williams said, “We are seeking councillor support to apply for the funds to cover costs incurred for the initial design, and we will continue to work closely with the Friends of River Frome to do this.
“We are only asking for a few thousand at the moment out of the S106 budget, to progress the design. There is up to £100,000 available and at the moment we are only applying for about £12,000, but we really need to get on and spend it because anything not spent will go back to the developer.”
However, there was concern among some councillors that the design may not include disability access Cllr Mark Dorrington said, “There was a debate last time about the design and disabled access because the ramp was making the project a lot more expensive.”
Cllr Andy Jones said, “I can’t support spending money on a bridge that is not accessible. I don’t understand clearly whether we are spending money on a design that will exclude 50% of the population.”
However, Sarah Williams said, “We will ensure disability access is definitely included in the brief.”
Richard from Friends of River Frome said, “We have pushed for this for the last few years, for a bridge that is accessible to all and has access for all. This is a really good thing and it will benefit a lot of people in the town. The designs before were indicative and we are looking for access for all.
“By getting the funds we will allow for a project manager to push it forward. We already have agreement to pursue the path to the bridge. Acorn have done their bit with creating the wooden path. I am here to say this is a good thing, it’s what we need. It’s a really good access point and will eventually benefit a lot of people in the town. We really need to secure this money. We are looking to get sponsorship to go with this. We think we need double the amount to get it done. If you need to talk about it, Friends of River Frome are available, just give us a call.”
The specific need for disability access has been noted and will be included in the design brief. The team leading the project will now approach Mendip District Council to apply for funds.
