Wandsworth Council has refused to support a funding bid to keep Hammersmith Bridge open for pedestrians, cyclists and river traffic, after plans to fully reopen it to vehicles were shelved.
The Conservative administration in Wandsworth wrote to Hammersmith and Fulham Council officials stating it could not support the Labour-run council's bid for £128 million from the Government's £1 billion Structures Fund for essential repairs to the bridge, as it fell short of what residents and businesses wanted to see.
Bid for phased repairs
Hammersmith and Fulham, which owns the Grade II* listed bridge, had hoped to secure £300 million to fully restore it, but a report by council officers said the Department for Transport (DfT) had instead recommended it apply for a “phased repair” to keep the bridge open for pedestrians, cyclists and river traffic.
The council said in July there was no financial option available to fully restore the crossing, which would “essentially require a brand-new bridge to be built”. The fund criteria also says the latest date for eligible schemes to reach completion is March 31, 2030, which does not allow for full restoration.
Political opposition
Hammersmith and Fulham wrote to neighbouring authorities requesting stakeholder support for its bid. This was rejected by Wandsworth, with new leader Robert Morritt writing to Hammersmith and Fulham councillor Nicole Trehy, cabinet member for travel, stating the authority was “extremely disappointed” by the bid.
In his letter, Councillor Morritt said the bid fell “well short of what the vast majority of residents and businesses in the immediate area and across London would like to see.” He voiced support for plans designed by architects Foster and Partners, announced in 2020, to build a temporary double-decker crossing that would potentially allow vehicles to use the bridge while it is fully repaired. Pedestrians would cross on the lower deck and cars on the upper level.
Councillor Morritt wrote: “This key crossing has been closed to full operation for over seven years now and expecting partners to be satisfied it will remain shut to motor vehicles for a likely further decade is not tolerable.”
Conservative councillor Nick Austin, cabinet member for travel, also said: “In 2019, Fleur Anderson MP campaigned in Putney on a platform that national government should foot the bill for repairing Hammersmith Bridge. Seven years on, Labour run every level of government – Hammersmith and Fulham Council, City Hall, and national government – so if Labour wanted to reopen the bridge, they could. The Conservatives will not support any bid that does not reopen Hammersmith Bridge to all modes of transport.”
Response from Hammersmith and Fulham
Councillor Trehy said it was a “matter of deep regret” that Wandsworth was allegedly “playing political games”, and the council would rather work constructively with the borough to secure the bridge’s future. She said Hammersmith and Fulham had received Wandsworth’s letter two days after the deadline for submissions to the Structures Fund, and that it did not offer any contribution towards the cost of repairs or recognise the cash the authority had already spent keeping it open – mainly for residents south of the river.
“Nor does it acknowledge the failure of the previous national government to reimburse H&F for the agreed share of our spending on bridge repairs,” she claimed.
The crossing was built in 1887 and is one of the world’s oldest suspension bridges. It was shut in April 2019 after inspectors found micro-fractures in each of its four cast iron pedestals, which indicated a risk of “catastrophic collapse”. It has since reopened to pedestrians, cyclists and river traffic, with Hammersmith and Fulham spending £54 million to maintain the structure.
The Government struck a deal with TfL in 2021 to split the cost of repairs three ways with Hammersmith and Fulham. A report by Hammersmith and Fulham officers said: “The council’s position – in line with this one-thirds principle – is that it is still owed money due from TfL, primarily, and DfT towards the £54m that has been spent on the restoration project.”
Councillor Trehy added: “Wandsworth’s new leadership has completely missed the point that these works are essential to keep the bridge open safely for pedestrians and cyclists, regardless of any longer-term debate about motor vehicles. If the bid is not successful, the bridge is likely to have to close to everyone within 12 months. We would much rather work constructively with Wandsworth and our other neighbours to secure the future of the bridge. Briefing against this funding bid risks exactly the opposite outcome – the complete closure of Hammersmith Bridge, including to Wandsworth residents who rely on it. It is a matter of deep regret that a neighbouring borough, with so much to gain from the bridge remaining open, seeks to damage our bid – and the travel options of its own residents – by playing political games.”
Ms Anderson has vowed to continue fighting for the full restoration of the bridge. An announcement on whether the £128 million bid has been successful is expected in autumn.
