Letters: Forestry England on wrong side of New Forest bridge row

In response to your recent article about the fight to save the footbridge at Martin’s Road in Brockenhurst (A&T 4th Apr), it has been used regularly through the whole year for over 75 years without incident, being the main route from the east side of Brockenhurst to Black Knowl and the multiple footpaths beyond.

Despite having previously accepted responsibility for the footbridge for over 50 years, Hampshire County Council have now decided that, as it is on Forestry England land, they can no longer be involved.

Forestry England state that as a result of a survey which has deemed the footbridge unsafe it must now be closed on the basis that due to there being a suitable alternative river crossing nearby using the road bridge in Meerut Road, expenditure to retain the bridge cannot be justified and, in any case, they do not have any funds available to accommodate the estimated cost of £45k for the necessary remedial work.

Forestry England is wrong for two main reasons. Firstly, the road bridge in Meerut Road is not a safe alternative. Meerut Road is a very busy road being a main route to the road to Lyndhurst, Southampton and the M27. Neither Meerut Road nor the road bridge have footpaths and pedestrians need to navigate the severe and dangerous bend near the former Cloud Hotel. If more pedestrians, many with dogs and children, are forced by the actions of Forestry England and Hampshire council to use Meerut Road in order to cross the river it will be a serious accident waiting to happen.

Secondly, Forestry England has spent considerable sums repairing and replacing bridges and footbridge within the Forest that are not on routes frequently used by walkers and some are known of by few. If Forestry England reviewed its capital program and more sensibly reevaluated its priorities, there can be little doubt it could reallocate enough money to repair or replace the footbridge.

To date, Forestry England has not provided any details of the civil engineer’s survey which assessed the footbridge to be unsafe or the breakdown of the estimated cost of £45k. The cavalier approach by both Forestry England and Hampshire County Council to the future of this footbridge, which is such a widely used and necessary asset to the community, is totally unacceptable.

Bernadette and Chris Daniels

Brockenhurst