A QUESTION mark hangs over the construction of the proposed Llanfoist footbridge according to reports that suggest objections have been raised by Natural Resources Wales due to concerns over potential flooding.

Councillors green-lit plans for a footbridge over the River Usk connecting Abergavenny and Llanfoist at a recent planning meeting after two years of discussion, but now a meeting of Abergavenny Civic Society has heard that the country’s leading environmental body may be considering launching an appeal.

National Resources Wales had previously gone on record as harbouring ‘significant concerns’ with the current proposal, stating that the body would object to the plans unless issues regarding flood management, consideration of protected species laws (namely bats) and environmental management plans were aligned with their own requirements.

County councillors approved the ambitious plan to build a walking and cycling footpath around 100m downstream from the existing Abergavenny bridge despite some opposition from local groups with officers assuring local residents that issues of privacy, and concerns over flooding had been addressed.

Councillor Giles Howard said the visual impact would be ‘minimal’ and the footbridge was a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity to address safety issues concerned with the current bridge, but added a condition to improve a landscaping issue.

The 60m footbridge would combine a three-metre-wide footway and cycleway built from steel beams covered in rain-screen timber cladding, and complete with anti-slip coating across the walkway. The design takes environmental and visual impacts into account, wherein the height of the bridge is to be above usual flood levels with a consideration made for future climate change effects.

Supporting voices published in the council documents point to the ‘dangerous’ aspects of the existing bridge, adding that burgeoning traffic spurred by recent major developments in Llanfoist has added to the danger.

In response, project engineer at Monmouthshire County Council, Steve Baldwin, stated, ‘We have submitted our response to the NRW rebuttal. Even if we are successful there is no funding allocated to this project for this current financial year other than a fee to cover the appeal process. We would therefore have to submit a new bid to WG. The bridge deck certainly needs to be purchased in advance of the actual ground works so given the status of the budget I’m not sure at present what effect this would have on programme.’

Christian Schmidt, the council’s transport planning and policy officer added, ‘The Welsh government have effectively indicated that they are happy with the scheme, it is just a question of deliverability and available funding. So we got turned down this year because of the NRW issue. Should we win the appeal, we would immediately rebid. I understand that while there is currently no funding left for active travel schemes for this financial year, Welsh Government transport planners are looking at securing additional money, and if they are successful then our changes should be good.