Read the latest October 2025 update here ...
Longstongs Delph Crossing
Following storm Babet, in October 2023, the footbridge which crossed the Longstongs Delph was damaged by flood water and was removed by the Internal Drainage Board after its collapse in December 2023. This caused some concern in the village and the Parish Council were approached by residents to look into replacing the bridge. It is important to state that the Parish Council does not own, nor have any control over, the land or the watercourse involved, nor did we own the bridge that was removed by the Internal Drainage Board. Nevertheless, we agreed to investigate the possibility of the bridge being replaced. It is also important to note that the days of being able to “throw a couple of planks across it and call it done” are long past and any construction project must comply with public health and safety regulations.
Enquiries to the Environmental Agency, the Internal Drainage Board and Lincolnshire County Council established that no-one was prepared to take ownership of the bridge or could remember who put it there in the first place. The Environmental Agency eventually agreed, in principle, that should the Parish Council reinstate the bridge, they would have to adhere to the following conditions: The Parish Council would have to negotiate a formal agreement with the Environment Agency, gain consent from the Internal Drainage Board who maintain the watercourses, pay for public liability insurance and undertake all future maintenance of the bridge.
A quote was obtained from a Lincolnshire County Council approved contractor, which was then submitted to the Internal Drainage Board for approval and accepted. The initial quote was for £25,136 and a further quote of £34,752 was obtained. With the cost of materials, these figures will have increased. Most of the money that a Parish Council receives comes from the precept, that is, directly from the money that you, as our parishioners, pay in council tax. As with any large project we needed to establish whether or not it is something that the village as a whole wanted.
The Parish Council investigated the possibility of external funding, including crowd funding. Opportunities for local authorities to apply for external funding are limited, however the funding body we applied to made it quite clear to us that they would not fund the project on the basis that the potential business case identified more risks and obstacles than the benefits that a new bridge would achieve. Amongst other things, they cited the following:
- The Parish Council do not own the land.
- Government funding awards require strict guidance on accessibility (ramps, parapets, approaches etc.).
- Planning permission would be needed.
- There is currently no infrastructure and limited use, given that the Environment Agency filled in the steps.
- Ecology Surveys, (Water voles, Newts and Bats) and Arboricultural Surveys (as some trees on our land would have to be removed in the construction) would be needed.
- Problems with future ownership, insurance and upkeep.
However, the final and deciding factor for us was the result of the Public Consultation which we undertook. We have heard some comments about how this was “not well advertised” however we posted about it on our Parish Council website, social media and also on the Washingborough/Heighington/Branston village group. We held face-to-face consultations at both the Community Centre and at the Precinct during May and June 2025 and put articles in the Sheepwash Times on several occasions, including a voting slip and information on how to send votes in by email or in person at the Civic Office in the July 2025 edition. This magazine is delivered to every house in the village, so there should be no excuse for anyone not having seen that this project was being discussed. We even extended the deadline as some people said they had not had time to vote. Nevertheless, out of a potential 3,500 people in Washingborough who were eligible to vote, we received a total of 237 votes.
Following discussion at our October meeting it was resolved to discontinue any further action on this project, given the considerable effort, cost implication (both now and in the future) and lack of interest from village residents.