Replacing Stiffkey Bridge

November 2023

Bridge design - drop in session

Date for your diary: Thursday 25 January, 2pm – 6.30pm

Are you a member of the local community who is interested in finding out more about how the project to replace Stiffkey Bridge is progressing? We will be holding a drop-in session at Morston Village Hall on Thursday 25 January, between 2pm and 6.30pm. Come and meet the team and see the initial designs, which will be worked up into detailed designs for our planning application and Marine Management Organisation license submissions.
 

October 2023

Surveys complete, design begins

We know there’s been some interest in the reasons why we needed to remove the old bridge on Stiffkey Marshes and the advice and information we took into account. Therefore we’ve arranged for the independent structural engineer to attend the next Stiffkey Parish Council meeting on 27 November to provide a summary of the professional advice he provided to us and answer questions from anyone who would like to know more. 

Meanwhile, we’re continuing to progress with the project to replace the bridge and this month we completed our ground investigation and topographical surveys. The design team is now in a position where they can determine what’s best in terms of design and foundations for the new bridge. We are expecting initial designs before Christmas.

15 August 2023

Progress update

We remain committed to rebuilding the bridge at Stiffkey.

In the last four weeks, we’ve had a number of meetings and site visits, talked to several organisations that will need to grant us the relevant permissions and to date have now committed £20k in fees and surveys that will help move us closer to submitting a formal planning application. 

We have had confirmation that both the ground investigation and topographical surveys will require Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) consent from Natural England, which can take up to four months. They are a key part of the process that will inform the detailed design that we need to submit with our planning application. We are reliant on the timescales of Natural England as to when this work can be completed and will work with them to move this forward. 

In the meantime, safety remains our priority and we ask visitors to the area to continue to follow signage, which includes the latest tide information. 

By mid-September we will be able to provide a further update, as we’ll have more information that will help dictate the timescales we’re then working towards, subject to funding and consent. We ask the local community to bear with us. Due to the location of the bridge, designations of the site, safety standards we need to adhere to and approvals required, this is not a straightforward project.

We’re moving forward as quickly as we can to build a bridge that's legally compliant, robust, safe and suitable for this inter-tidal coastal location.

July 2023

Site meeting and feasibility work

This month we met our newly appointed consultants on-site at Stiffkey, to bring them up to speed with our requirements for the new bridge and the designated environment that we’re working within.

They will be supporting us as engineers and surveyors, to ensure we’re asking the right questions of key stakeholders and authorities, which will help inform the design of the new bridge and make sure it’s suitable for this coastal landscape for the long term.

With this experienced team now on board, they will help us explore what’s needed to meet our requirements – from the footings of the bridge to its length and height that factor in future erosion and flooding.

Over the coming weeks, they will be liaising with third parties to carry out the necessary surveys and investigations that we will need to support our case when we submit our statutory applications.

We have more meetings in the diary to continue momentum with this project. So, towards the end of summer, we’ll have a much better idea of the design options available to us, the timescales we’re working to, and the funds needed.

June 2023

Consultants appointed

Following a tender process, we have appointed Conisbee as our lead consultant to help move us forward with our project to replace Stiffkey Bridge.

The National Trust has worked with Conisbee before and they have experience in designing bridges, they will also bring in further support from a Quantity Surveyor to support this project.

A start-up meeting and site visit are planned for July, as they help us with the ‘feasibility’ stage of the project. We have shared our requirements for the new bridge and this next phase will help inform the design.

We will also be using other consultants and contractors to carry out the necessary surveys we need, for example, ground conditions, topographical surveys and ecological surveys to help inform the design and the basis of the foundations of the bridge.

We’re anticipating spending £16k to get us to this point.

At the end of this feasibility stage, we will have an indication of the preferred type of bridge design. This will then go through internal sign-off, a detailed design stage and we will be able to proceed with the necessary planning application. 

We’re moving as quickly as we can and the timeline will be informed by work of the specialist consultants and the final design that we arrive at. We expect this feasibility stage of the project to be completed by the end of the summer.

For this project we will need to follow Construction (Design & Management) Regulations (2015) and as the work is taking place in a Special Area of Conservation, Special Protected Area, Site of Special Scientific Interest and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, we will need to seek permission from a number of third parties.

We have so far met with Natural England, The Crown Estate and Norfolk County Council and plan to meet with the Marine Management Organisation, Environment Agency and Historic England, as advised by the design team. However, full permissions will not be able to be obtained until we’ve completed the full design stage, which comes next.

Safety remains a priority, especially as we head into the summer months. We have been following guidance from experts, signage has been updated with more sturdy material, the most up-to-date tide timetable has been provided by the RNLI and we’ve met with the new Senior Coastal Operations Officer.

We continue to advise people to plan their visit in advance and follow the signage on the ground. 
 

May 2023

Design principles for the new bridge

This month we’ve sent our specifications for the new bridge to three companies, and we expect to hear back from them in the next few weeks. We’re looking to create a new permanent bridge that is simple in design and that fits in with the character of this internationally protected landscape. 

• We want the bridge to sit low in the landscape to minimise visual impact, whilst still accommodating the passage of canoes and dinghies during normal tide levels. 
• The bridge will need to be robust enough to withstand the effects of 1 in 100-year flood events. 
• It will need to stretch approximately 20 metres to allow sufficient bank erosion over time and not impede or alter the creek’s tidal flows. 
• The bridge will be predominantly constructed from timber but could be steel supported with hand-dug foundations.
• It will need to withstand approximately 30,000 to 40,000 pedestrian users a year. 
• We’re planning for it to be accessible and designed to take the weight of multiple families enjoying crabbing activities at the same time. 
• We’re also wanting something that can be easily maintained in the future. 

We will need to undertake topographical and ecology surveys to help further inform the bridge design, but our requirements give a good steer as to what we will need. 

As well as finalising our specifications for the new bridge and engaging companies who can help us, our conversations with key stakeholders have continued. 

We’ve been talking with Norfolk County Council about the application to designate a path on land in our care, just north of the bridge, to help us understand the technical nature of that process. 

We’ve also been chatting with Natural England about our work in the area, the bridge, nature conservation and access. 

We mentioned in our last update that we’ve been working with the RNLI to put new signage in place, we’re also about to contact new members of the Coastguard, to ensure they’re aware of the current situation regarding Stiffkey Bridge and our plans for its replacement in the future.
 

April 2023

Reminder to plan your visit

Our conversations with key stakeholders have continued this month and we’re now in the final stages of scoping out our requirements for the new bridge. Our Project Manager can then start engaging external contractors, as we move into the design stage. We can't give a timescale at this stage as to when the replacement bridge will be in place.

We’re aware that the RNLI were called out to render assistance to two people cut off by the tide near Stiffkey over Easter weekend and we were pleased to hear that they were safely brought ashore. We’d like to remind people to check the tide times before venturing onto the marshes and follow signage in the area. 

Our priority remains one of safety and we will continue our conversations with the RNLI to ensure that we’re doing all that we can in light of the recent call-out. Ahead of the May bank holiday weekend, we'll be erecting further signage in six locations to make people more aware of the tide times for this stretch of coast.

March 2023

Replacing Stiffkey Bridge

Since the outcome of our review in February, we’ve been progressing with work at Stiffkey and our project to replace the bridge.

We’ve been scoping out requirements to help inform the specifications of the new bridge, for example, the ideal width. This will ensure that any designs that are then drawn up are both fit for purpose and meet accessibility requirements. 

To do this we’ve been liaising with experts as well as key stakeholders, to help determine what’s an essential requirement and what’s ideal, so that we can factor this in when briefing external contractors. We’re also continuing our conversations with Natural England. Due to the estimated costs involved, we’ve also begun exploring external funding opportunities, to help support the delivery of this project.