Cowes Floating Bridge: Troubled Isle of Wight ferry to be replaced

Floating Bridge 6 has been beset with problems since it was introduced in May 2017

The troubled Isle of Wight floating bridge is set to be replaced, the council has confirmed.

The £3.5m chain ferry, which crosses the River Medina between Cowes and East Cowes, has been plagued with issues since it was installed in 2017.

The council's executive cabinet unanimously agreed to replace Floating Bridge 6.

It will now work with consultants 3S which recently found a replacement vessel would have to be redesigned.

Councillor Phil Jordan, the local authority's leader, said the decision "has been a long time coming".

"This Island needs to know we are replacing the floating bridge." he said.

Mr Jordan called it the start of a process and said options would be researched and brought back to the council before a new ferry was purchased.

The executive body agreed previous information, gathered by the council in multiple reports and reviews over the years, should be used to inform the next stages of replacing the vessel.

'Beginning of end'

Councillor Karl Love, ward representative for East Cowes, clapped when Mr Jordan read out the recommendations, and said he felt since he had come into office he had dealt with nothing but the floating bridge.

He said the cabinet's decision removed the "heartache" his community had suffered over the past seven years.

"Remember this is not going to be a quick fix - this will be a few more years yet but the end is in sight," he said.

"Thank you for arriving at the beginning of the end. I am sure it will come as a great relief to taxpayers.

"We cannot continue to shed millions and millions of pounds on this when it should have been dealt with earlier."

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