Relief as work begins on town's canalside revamp

Project organisers are relieved that Broad Street bridge can now be deconstructed

A decrepit bridge and disused cinema are now ready to be transformed as part of a £25m Town Deal investment in Long Eaton.

After months of delays, the Broad Street bridge will be replaced with a "spectacular" modern structure and expanded into a recreational waterside area between West Park and the canal.

The foundations for affordable housing will also be laid on the site of the former Galaxy Cinema, much to the delight of the Town Deal board chair, Richard Ledger.

"I thought it'd never happen," he told the BBC. "It's been four or five years in the planning to get to this stage. Now it's almost the easy part - all we've got to do is build it."

Broad Street Bridge and Waterfront are due to be completed by August 2026 and the Galaxy housing and commercial development in spring 2027.

An artist's impression of the new canal bridge at Broad Street

Erewash Borough Council was given £25m of government funding to rejuvenate the town more than five years ago and plans were announced in 2021.

Mr Ledger said he felt passionately that Erewash Canal should be improved with those funds, describing it as a "barrier" that had split the town in two.

"You look at what's happened in Birmingham, in London, for canalside environments - it was time we did something like that in Long Eaton," he said.

He promised a modern, attractive bridge leading to an accessible recreation area with seating, boating, a cafe and performance space sitting alongside the historic mill buildings.

"If we get more people who can come down here and actually appreciate it and experience it, it's got to be a good thing," he added.

He said the Town Deal board was also pleased to see the derelict Galaxy Cinema demolished to make way for 20 affordable homes and commercial spaces.

"The only thing that's been used for in the past 10-15 years is a cannabis factory," Mr Ledger said. "It's been a blight on the landscape."

The demolition of the Galaxy Cinema was completed at the start of October

Mr Ledger recognised both projects have been "complicated to get off the ground" with delays caused by consultations between contractors, design teams, the Canal and River Trust, the Environment Agency and Erewash Borough Council.

Council leader James Dawson admitted there had been "hiccups" to the major construction project but said the entire plan could be completed within the initial £25m budget.

But Mr Ledger warned that a £10m project to renovate Long Eaton's high street will not begin until next year.

However, he praised the completion of West Park's event space and lighting as well as the conversion of a Grade II listed stable block on Derby Road into business units and offices.

"Facilitating [this building work] to happen has been a lot more difficult than I could ever have envisaged, but we're there now," he said.