Braunston Ladder Bridge will not be replaced

Published: Wednesday, 08 March 2023

PETER Andrews died, from cancer in January 2018, aged 83, leaving a substantial bequest of £165,000 in order that the Ladder Bridge at Braunston be replaced.

Five years on, Canal & River Trust (CaRT) have said the project will not go ahead. Allan Richards investigates.

PeterAndrewsAndMollyPeter Andrews

Peter Andrews was a well known figure in the Braunston area, having moved to Brindley Quays next to the marina when he retired in 1994. A former London grammar school teacher with a degree in electrical engineering, he was Fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society and had also been involved in computer based education.

During his retirement he had been a benefactor of All Saints Church, Braunston, otherwise known as the Cathedral of the Canals for the role it played in boaters lives with many Weddings, Baptisms and Funerals held.

Peter was a canal enthusiast, volunteer and at one time a boat owner.

Ladder Bridge

The Braunston Ladder Bridge was built in 1948 to allow surplus narrowboats to be stored offline. It has been modified recently on a couple of occasions with little effect and remains unusable for wheelchairs, pushchairs and anyone unable to cope with steep steps.

LadderBridgeAbout1950Peter Andrews knew these problems well as he used to walk from the marina to Braunston Tunnel and back regularly. His last dog, a rescue called Molly, was so nervous about the bridge that he had to carry her over.

Tim Coghlan, owner of Braunston Marina, was a friend of Peter Andrews. It was Tim that suggested to terminally ill Peter that he leave a legacy to enable the Ladder Bridge to be replaced by a more accessible structure. It would be named 'Peter’s Bridge' in his memory.

Writing in tribute of Peter, CaRT CEO Richard Parry explained:

“The Canal and River Trust is hugely grateful for the selfless and dedicated volunteering that Peter did, literally every day and in all weathers, to keep the Braunston flight tidy and in the best possible condition for visitors to enjoy —and also for the generous legacy he has left to help us replace the Ladder Bridge at Braunston.”

Cost almost doubles

In June 2022, it appeared that much delayed plans to replace the Ladder Bridge were moving ahead despite an initial concept design suggesting a replacement might cost £150,000 on top of Peter’s legacy (i.e. £315,000). Ground investigations took place in July with a view to providing a more accurate estimate by the end of August. Then timescales for 'a more accurate estimate' slipped to November 2022.

... but November came and went without an announcement.

Some sources started suggesting that the 'Peter’s Bridge' project had been quietly shelved ...

Freedom of Information

In January 2023, a Freedom of Information request was made by Chris Burton using the whatdotheyknow.com website. CaRT responded via whatdotheyknow.com on 21st February. A couple of days later, CaRT emailed Chris Burton direct with a different response claiming that the first had been a draft!

CaRT’s confused responses confirmed the project had been abandoned. However, they failed to explain why CaRT was not able to find third party funders or fund from its own resources.

Summary

Repeating CaRT CEO Richard Parry statement:

“The Canal and River Trust is hugely grateful for the selfless and dedicated volunteering that Peter did, literally every day and in all weathers, to keep the Braunston flight tidy and in the best possible condition for visitors to enjoy —and also for the generous legacy he has left to help us replace the Ladder Bridge at Braunston.”

..but not grateful enough, it seems, to fund a project shortfall from its own resources despite having £1.14 billion in assets.