The Little Bridge with a big planning problem for Eden Council hidden under 1500 tonnes of concrete

REFUSAL by Eden council last week for retrospective planning at Great Musgrave but there is a secret hidden under that 1500 tons of concrete.

On Thursday the 16th June 2022 in the rural district of Eden sitting in the council chamber of Penrith Town Hall the Planning Commitee of Eden District council was held.

There was a single planning application item on the agenda of the meeting for debate.

A retrospective planning application known as Application No: 22/0254

Infilling of a road (B6259) bridge over the former Eden Valley Railway with structural fill and foamed concrete Great Musgrave Road Bridge, Musgrave Historical Railways Estate (on behalf of Department for Transport)

The application had an officer’s recommendation to REFUSE the application.

You will have seen the news coverage of the Refusal decision by Eden District Council on the 16th of June 2022.

But hidden deep underneath the 1500 tons of concreate used to infill the bridge at Great Musgrave is a little secret that Eden Council would like to keep buried deep under the concrete.

Back in 2020 as the world was in lockdowns and we were all focused on the pandemic.

Before even any weed was even disturbed under Great Musgrave Bridge on the old track bed.

An email inbox on the 23rd of April 2020 showed a message of a new email arriving in the Inbox of Eden District Council Planning department.

The Email was sent by contractors working for Historical Railways Estate (HRE), formerly BRB (Residuary) Ltd part of Highways England now knows as National Highways.

The contractors had attached to the email with a subject of "Disused Railway Bridge EDE/25 “Great Musgrave” – Infilling Works"

The attached document outlined the plans to infill the bridge with concreate.

Now as the world knows this work happed in 2021 the bridge was filled in and suddenly the world was up in arms over it and rightly so given the impact the work had on both the visual surroundings but the wider impact on any hope of the track bed once again having trains run along it.

Fast forward to the 16th of June 2022 and Eden council made a big public show of a refusal for the retrospective planning application for the works carried out.

Saying that "The proposal results in considerable harm to the visual appearance of the bridge as a single span structure and fails to complement or enhance the area or protect features or characteristics of local importance, as such the works cause less than substantial harm to a non designated heritage asset. The stated public benefit, in terms of reduced cost to the public purse in the long term, compared to more sympathetic repair and reinforcement, is not considered sufficient to outweigh this harm. The development is therefore contrary to policies DEV5, ENV2 and ENV10 of the adopted Local Plan."

The objectors myself included were all cheering and happy at the result.

The press and media jumped at the story "Council says no to infilled bridge".

Eden District Council appeared as the defenders of historic structures.

But flash back to the secret hidden deep under that 1500 tons of now hard and set concrete under Great Musgrave Bridge.

That secret dated the 24th of April 2020 at 15:48 send by Eden District Council planning department to the contractors.

Just 24 hours after the contractors had sent over a detailed proposal for the infilling of the bridge.

The replay sent by Eden council planning said "

Good Afternoon,

Thank you for consulting Eden District Council regarding the proposed works to the disused railway bridge.

I have a checked with a colleague who is of the opinion that the works described in the email attachment would constitute permitted works to maintain the highway. You may also wish

to check with the Highway Authority that they have no issues with the proposal however we don’t consider that we would need to see a planning application for these works.

Kind Regards

Planning Technician

Planning Services Team"

Yes you have seen that correctly in April 2020 Eden district council said "we don’t consider that we would need to see a planning application for these works."

I was sent the email shorty after it was sent by a source that will remain anonymous.

Within days I had started a conversation with a former planning officer at Eden council over the situation and the need for the works to be subject to planning and consultation.

Shortly before the works started in 2021 the planning officer finally agreed but it was too late to stop the works and the tons of concrete landing and the act of historic vandalism landing on Great Musgrave Bridge.

The council then insisted that the works be subject to a retrospective application that eventually last week came before the council after a lot of public interest developed after the concrete landed.

The works carried out are estimated to have cost hundreds of thousands of pounds of public money and an estimated removed at a cost of £450000 is still to be added to that cost now.

I believe that as the concrete is to be removed the dirty little secret Eden Council have buried underneath it should see the light of day as well.

Eden District Council are as comparable in the act of historical vandalism at Great Musgrave Bridge as those who instructed the works to take place.

Infact Eden council more so as they totally failed to apply their own planning rules and guidance as set out in the local plan that they have now used in the refusal of the retrospective application that only happened because of pressure.

Had I just ignored it and the public pressure had not happened then Great Musgrave would have sat full of concrete for eternity thanks to the failure of Eden council and those few words that crossed cyber space saying.

"we don’t consider that we would need to see a planning application for these works."

In 2019 Eden Council declared a climate emergency.

the actions in 2020 and now in 2022 will see not just an act of historical vandalism but also its huge carbon footprint in both the works taking place to place it there and the concrete used but now its removal and disposal of that concrete.

Yet according to the leader of Eden council they are running a good administration at Eden Council.

Imagine the damage a bad one would do if that's the case.

That's the secret buried under the concrete dug up now let’s hope the rest of it is removed a swiftly.