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Bridge to get 'essential' repairs

BBC A small road leading to a residential area, with a concrete bridge over it.BBC
Repairs to the bridge's concrete are scheduled for early 2025

A bridge will be given "essential" repairs and new street lighting.

Littlemore Bridge in Oxford was built in the 1950s and has visible cracks and missing chunks of concrete.

Oxfordshire County Council said that repairs to the concrete are scheduled for early 2025 but insisted it was not currently "unsafe".

Littlemore Parish Council said the bridge was also a site for anti-social behaviour, and that it had a commitment to "ensure public safety and well-being in Littlemore".

It added: "Ordinarily, street lighting would not be a parish council responsibility.

"However, in this case the parish council, recognising the need for it locally, resolved to collaborate with the city and county councils and councillors to source the funding necessary."

It said funding was successfully secured by county councillor Trish Elphinstone and Deputy Lord Mayor Tiago Corais from the city council.

A close up of one of the bridge supports, with a chuck of concrete missing from its side.
The bridge was built in the 1950s and has visible cracks and missing chunks of concrete

Councillor David Henwood, who has been campaigning since 2015 for the bridge to be repaired, said the planned repairs and addition of street lighting were "essential to the bridge".

He said: "People feel very unsafe walking under it, especially in the dark.

"We do get antisocial behaviour in that area, and we have CCTV to help reduce that amount of anti-social behaviour.

"[Littlemore] feels neglected for most of the year, and it’s very rare funding gets sent our way.

"As local councillors we are trying to turn that narrative back to Littlemore, which has not happened in the past, not on the scale it deserves."

David Henwood taking a selfie in front of a large chunk of the missing bridge.
David Henwood has been campaigning since 2015 for the bridge to be repaired

A county council spokesperson said: "The bridge is not currently unsafe and the condition is not unusual for the structure of this type and age.

"The planned repair work is pro-active and aimed at preventing deterioration of the bridge, which would require more costly intervention in the future".

It said the prioritisation of bridge repairs is reviewed across a large stock of bridges across the whole county and is reviewed on a regular basis.

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