Councillors asking for temporary bridge to be put in place

The original bridge, which provided a crossing over the River Clwyd between Trefnant and Tremeirchion, and was used as a route to the A55, collapsed on January 21, 2021.

Residents have had to drive seven miles around the river since the damage caused by Storm Christoph.

Cllr James Elson, who represents Trefnant on Denbighshire County Council, said: "I appreciate that there are complex issues regarding the design of the replacement not just the engineering aspects but also the listed status of the old bridge, the involvement of outside bodies like National Resources Wales and negotiations with landowners. These will take time.

"I have been repeatedly asked if a temporary replacement could be installed whilst all the issues are resolved.

"Then the residents could get on with their daily lives without costly lengthy diversions and ongoing disruption.

"I have sourced such a temporary bridge which is immediately available and with the appropriate approval could be installed in four to eight weeks. This bridge has a span of 24 metres and is rated at 90 tonnes.

"This could be purchased outright or rented with a cost for installation and removal."

Cllr Elson says this suggestion has been rejected and he added: "If it was in use for five or ten years it would make such a difference to the residents and allow for all the issues relating to a permanent solution to be addressed and funding to be made available.

"I feel that the residents should be canvassed on this matter and if there is support for a temporary solution it should be re-examined by Denbighshire Council."

Llanerch Bridge after Storm Christoph had ripped through it. PIC: Liahll Bruce. (Image: PIC: Liahll Bruce.)

Cllr Chris Evans, who is the Tremeirchion representative on Denbighshire County Council, said: "People just want a bridge.

"With the amount of people, I must have five-or-six emails a week about it. "People are annoyed. People feel that they're not connected.

"To me, you need a backup plan and the backup plan is to get a temporary bridge. Then you have got a longer period to sort out finances.

"We need to get out of our heads that it's just a back lane. It's a major route to filter in Tremeirchion, Trefnant and Rhuallt."

Last month, community group Tremeirchion 2000 staged a "light-hearted" protest at Llanerch Bridge.

Since January 2021, Denbighshire County Council has been in discussions with partner agencies including Welsh Government, Natural Resources Wales and Cadw to understand the considerations required before carrying out a community engagement exercise with local people to understand if a bridge was needed or wanted.

The community engagement was carried out over September and October of 2021 and 94.5 per cent of people who took part in the community engagement told the council they were keen to see Llanerch Bridge replaced.

A spokesperson for Denbighshire County Council said: “Our current strategy agreed by cabinet is to look at how we can replace the bridge on a permanent basis. Any temporary bridge is likely to be very expensive, and that is one of the reasons why we are focussed on a permanent bridge. 

“We fully recognise the frustrations that no replacement bridge has been put in place. However, it’s a very complex project and we have moved as quickly as it can to try and find a solution that will meet the needs of the local community.

“We want to assure local residents that work is progressing in the background to find the best solution and we will keep communities informed of progress through a quarterly newsletter.

"We also have FAQs in the recent published newsletter which explain why we are focussing on a permanent, replacement as opposed to a temporary bridge.”