New Clifton Down bridge proposal rejected

By Patrick Sullivan, Co-Editor-in-Chief

A planning inspector has rejected the plan for a new stone bridge across the Clifton Downs, despite being approved by Bristol City Council.

Supposedly the first stone arch bridge to be built in Europe for 100 years, the idea was first proposed in 2013, but now seems unlikely after Inspector Helen Slade said the benefits to the public were 'minimal' compared to 'the permanent, adverse impact it would have on the open landscape of the common.'

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Robert Lake, chairman of the Friends of the Downs and Avon Gorge, however, said it was a 'deplorable decision which endures the danger faced by tens of thousands of people every month as they cross this busy road'.

Featured image: Epigram / Patrick Sullivan

What do you think of the decision to reject the bridge proposal?