Feasibility study for new foot/cycle bridge across the River Tillingham 1. Why is a bridge needed? Currently all residents of Tilling Green and Valley Park can only get into Rye via the Ferry Road / Udimore Road bridge. Whilst this is adequate for accessing most parts of Rye, it does mean that without a new bridge, those parts of Rye North of the railway line take longer to reach. This includes Rye Primary School, Rye College and Rye Studio School, as well as the sports centre and scout hut. The allotments and community garden off Love Lane would also be more accessible. Further afield is Rye Medical Centre in Rye Foreign, but still potentially within walking distance. A new bridge over the River Tillingham would cut about 0.4 miles off the journey, equivalent to approx. 5 minutes walking time for residents of Tilling Green. This is measured from the pumping station next to Marley Road up to the footpath at the end of Tillingham Avenue leading to the primary school. Arguably the time benefit starting from Valley Park is less pronounced, as using Old Brickyard Lane leads directly onto Udimore Road, whereas most Tilling Green residents either need to walk the length of Mason Road or the footpath along River Tillingham from Marley Road, to reach Udimore Road.
However, walking or cycling along Old Brickyard Lane is not always easy due to puddles & uneven surfaces. Furthermore, crossing Mason Road at the junction with Udimore Road is not particularly safe. Many Valley Park residents therefore prefer to take walks along Cooper Road and Marley Road up to the pumping station, then the footpath joining Udimore Road just West of the road bridge. A new bridge would be safer and more pleasant than the pavement along Udimore Road / Ferry Road. Cycling along this road is particularly dangerous. It would also improve the overall access to town and improve the connectivity with existing footpaths and cycleways. In this regard, the new bridge is also meeting two of the policies set out in the emerging Rye Neighbourhood Plan: T1 To ensure that developments are to provide safe pedestrian access to link up with existing or proposed footpaths (and cycleways), ensuring that residents can walk or ride safely to town facilities. And T2. To make Rye a more cycle friendly place to live by encouraging cycle way improvements to include the Greenway initiative for better connectivity with facilities for secure cycle parking. The bridge would also promote social cohesion, helping overcome any marginalization that may be felt by people in Tilling Green. It would encourage more people to walk or cycle, particularly children and young people who might feel more confident about travelling to school and leisure activities independently. It would reduce the number of short car journeys, with the economic and environmental benefits this entails. In particular, the parking in Tillingham Avenue at the beginning & end of the school day would be eased. 2. Who would benefit? There are approximately 463 households in Tilling Green and 161 (based on SHLAA figures) in Valley Park, giving a total of 624 households which would benefit from the bridge, about ¼ of Rye s population. The Rye Neighbourhood Plan (RNP) also allows for a further 10 or more dwellings to Valley Park (Policy H2) and up to a further 30 dwellings to Tilling Green School site (Policy H3), subject to overcoming the flood risks. This gives a potential total of 40 further dwellings to benefit from the bridge. Residents along Udimore Road might well choose to use the foot/cycle bridge too, rather than walking along Ferry Road into town, in particular when visiting areas of Rye North of the railway line. However, there is no time saving, as the route via Tillingham Avenue is equidistant to the proposed new route.
There are also benefits not just from West to East. From the other direction, there are journeys of interest too, such as to visit the convenience store or the Tillingham Green Community Centre (former primary school), as well as visiting relatives or friends. 3. What are the key considerations to creating a bridge? 3.1 Cost At this early stage, no cost estimate is possible, although it is expected this would be at least a six figure sum. It is expected that there will be costs for at least the following: Consultant s fees (topographical survey, engineer, others) Legal fees Public consultation costs Bridge construction Foot/cycle path construction New lighting New signage Possible re-routing of some services Possible compensation to landowners It is envisaged that the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) could be a significant contributor to the costs, but this needs to be weighed against other local priorities. The anticipated developments under RNP, policies H2 & H3, would benefit directly from the bridge. Other sources of funding might be: Private subscribers / donations Rye Academy Trust e-fund Rye Amenity CIC Rye Fund / Sussex Community Foundation Little Cheyne Court Wind Farm Community Fund Outside funding sources 3.2 Land ownership It is known that the East bank of the river belongs, for the most part, to Rother District Council, as does the meadow to the West of Tillingham Avenue, as does the West river bank south of no.83 Marley Road.
To the East river bank, ESCC or Rye Academy Trust own the land just North of Tillingham Avenue, up to the path leading to the primary school / sports centre. It is presumed the river itself it the responsibility of the Environment Agency. The field to the North of the river bend belongs to a local farmer, Frank Langrish. This field is known as Rams field, and is indeed used for keeping rams. It is understood that farmers tend to be reluctant to allow new footpaths over their fields, firstly because it devalues the land and secondly because it makes it easier for dogs to trouble the livestock. Any landowners over which the bridge and path need to pass will need to support the proposal. 3.3 Flood risk Either side of the river, there are bunds (raised earth embankments or levees) protecting the populations either side. Along Marley Road north of the pumping house, the bund is towards Rams Field, which is therefore in the flood plain. To the south of the pumping house, there is a brick wall with concrete parapet, along the footpath leading to Udimore Road, to provide the flood protection. This is at a lower
level than the bunds, presumably as a wall is much less likely to be breached than a bund of the same height. Any bridge or foot/cycle path will need to respect the integrity of the flood protection. In particular along Marley Road, there will therefore be a level change required to overcome the flood defense. This could be a challenge due to the limited space available and the need to make the foot/cycle path accessible. Any gradient needs to be such that it does not preclude disabled access. Any construction also needs to take account of drainage, including avoiding obstruction to existing drainage courses. 3.4 Security & access The new route needs to be safe, including avoiding slip hazard when wet or icy. Some artificial lighting is required. The new footbridge between Cooper Road and the Valley Park has recently been criticised due to lack of adequate lighting, see http://www.ryenews.org.uk/news/light-vanishes-dark As stated previously, the route needs to be accessible to all pedestrians and cyclists, but this needs to be offset against unauthorized access in particular from motorbikes. It is questionable whether the anti-motorbike barriers used between Valley Park and Old Brickwork Lane would be suitable, as these prevent wheelchairs & some types of bicycles from passing. 4. Location of bridge and foot/cycle path An initial scoping exercise suggests three possible options: A. Bridge South of the pumping station off Marley Road, leading to new path south of the river and connecting to the end of Tillingham Avenue. B. Bridge North of the pumping station off Marley Road, leading to new path south of the river and connecting to the end of Tillingham Avenue. C. Bridge opposite path leading to primary school, then crossing Rams Field and emerging at end of Pottingfield Road. Options A & B have the advantage of being fully within public land, whereas Option C requires crossing a sheep field belonging to a private individual. It would also cut the field into two halves, cutting the field access to the South off from the larger portion to the North.
However, Options A & B are both restricted in terms of space between Marley Road and the bridge, which needs to be at a higher level due to the flood risk. Option C would enable the bund to be pushed into the field, thereby creating enough space for a shallow gradient to the path whilst maintaining the flood defence. Option A has a number of trees nearby, which may hinder the path through to a bridge. Option B is quite close to the road, so would require a path almost parallel to the road leading up to the top of the bund, where the bridge would start. Option C has the path starting at the end of Pottingfield Road, where it joins up with the end of Marley Road. There are two weeping willow trees towards the bund, which should be preserved. The Eastern end of all three options appears to be less problematic, firstly because all the land is in public ownership and secondly because the path leading to the primary school is at the same level as the top of the bund, in other words is flood protected. With option C, the bridge would simply continue the line of the path to the primary school, albeit that this may require a tree to be removed. Options A & B would see the new path merging into the existing path between no.40 Tillingham Avenue and the existing Udimore Road / Ferry Road bridge. There is then enough land to allow the path to rise in a gradient up to the path leading to the primary school. Options A & B will be more prominently seen from the existing bridge, whereas due to the bend in the river, option C will be less conspicuous. As the open countryside North of the existing bridge, East of Tilling Green and West of Tillingham Avenue is an important feature, the bridge should not unduly detract from this. Until such a time that due to legal or design reasons an option has to be discarded, it is suggested all three should be considered. However, Option B, which is also the route shown in the Rye Greenway initiative, shows most promise at an early stage. 5. Bridge design Not too much can be said about the design at this early stage, as the exact design criteria are not yet known, in particular the bridge span. The bridge obviously needs to be fit for purpose and durable, but also needs to be in keeping with the predominantly rural setting. Sarum Hardwood designed the existing bridge at the end of Cooper Road and CTS Bridges have designed and supplied many of the footbridges in Ashford. Their websites are here: http://www.sarumhardwood.co.uk/products/bridges/laminated_beam/ http://www.ctsbridges.co.uk/bridges/bridges/cycle-bridges-bridlebridges/bridges/cycle-bridges-bridle-bridges/