Controversial 'bridge to nowhere' could be built

The bridge would be built over the railway line on fields near Sinderberry Drive in Northway

A project dubbed by some the "bridge to nowhere" could be back on the table by the end of the year.

Plans for the crossing over the railway line in Northway, Gloucestershire, were first launched more than six years ago, to unlock land near the M5, where it's hoped 10,000 homes will be built as part of the Ashchurch Garden Community.

But the plans were thrown out after Tewkesbury Borough Council lost a case in the Court of Appeal.

The borough council now plans to buy land for the bridge, meaning a second iteration of the crossing could be on the cards.

'Bridge to nowhere'

The crossing was controversial from the start, with residents and local parish councils raising concerns about traffic and flooding.

It was dubbed the "bridge to nowhere" due to claims it would be built with no approved plans for homes.

After a lengthy process, the council lost a Court of Appeal case last February, leaving it with legal bills of more than £200,000.

Now that the council has said the bridge could be going ahead, but will no longer be a bridge to nowhere, as the authority has bought the land on the condition that the plans, which include homes forming the Ashchurch Garden Community, are passed.

Tewkesbury Borough Council estimates it will cost up to £20m to build and remove a level crossing from the rail line.

This will be funded via council-obtained grants, with developers having to repay most of this over time.

The first housing applications for the garden community are expected by the end of the year - but if approved, it will likely take several years before work on the bridge starts.