Government intervention in row over creek bridge

The swing bridge over Faversham Creek has been out of action for several years

An intervention by central government may help to resolve a row over the transformation of a dilapidated town bridge in Kent.

The swing bridge over Faversham Creek has been out of action for several years.

Kent County Council (KCC) and the local port authority, Peel Ports, have been locked in a dispute over who owns the bridge and who should foot the bill to fix the structure.

Now, following an intervention from the Department for Transport (DfT), the two could be set for arbitration over the issue.

Campaigners had presented a petition to DfT in November, signed by 1,500 people, calling for the return of the swing bridge.

After a meeting in February the DfT recommended that KCC and the town council agree to find lawyers to arbitrate the ownership, and secure agreement from Peel Ports for this approach.

If agreed, a King’s Counsel with maritime expertise would consider both positions and make a decision, which would be binding, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

In 2019, £1.54m was raised between residents, the Faversham Creek Trusts and local councils to erect a new swing bridge.

However, the total cost of the project was estimated by KCC at between £2.5m – £3m, so the replacement was never secured.

A Peel Ports spokesperson said: “KCC owns (and has responsibility for) the public highway, and our team in Sheerness has been liaising with them on their ambitions for Faversham Bridge since 2018."

KCC said it was unable to comment when approached.

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