Call for action over 'totally unacceptable' state of Maidenhead Bridge

Residents have raised concerns about the potential damage that ‘totally unacceptable’ overgrown ivy could have on the Grade I-listed Maidenhead Bridge.

The long-running issue was raised at a Maidenhead Town Forum meeting earlier this month, and again at a full council meeting on Tuesday night, with residents asking for a conservation plan to be put in place for the historic bridge.

The bridge, which was completed in 1777, was designed by Sir Robert Taylor and features arches made of Portland stone.

Speaking at the Maidenhead Town Forum meeting on Thursday, September 12, resident Diana le Clercq said: “Sadly, the bridge is in poor repair.

“There is significant growth of ivy at both the Taplow and Maidenhead ends, which needs to be removed.

“There are concerns that the encroaching growth will damage the structure and cause greater expense of repairs in the future.”

Councillors agreed that something needed to be done to address these issues.

The chair of the town forum, Councillor Gurch Singh (Lib Dem, St Mary’s) said: “This a [source of] civic pride, of course it is. We’ve got to keep that [structure] up and fit and in good shape.”

At the meeting, Oldfield Road resident Corine Nabavi said that the growth on the bridge is ‘totally unacceptable’.

Mrs Nabavi said: “If you go to Henley their bridge is the pride and joy and the entrance into the town. All we’ve got is a poorly maintained bridge coming into Maidenhead.”

In a written question for a full council meeting on Tuesday, Mrs Nabavi asked if the council could explain the maintenance plan for the bridge and provide details of the most recent structural inspection.

In a written response, the council said the bridge structure was judged to be in a ‘good to fair’ condition when it was inspected last year, with ‘no significant change’ from the previous inspection.

It added: “The submerged bridge structure itself is considered [to be in] a generally satisfactory condition. There was no undermining to any of the walls found and only minor structural issues such as missing pointing was observed.”

The response added that vegetation inspection was carried out earlier this month, with a recommendation made to remove a tree.

‘No other maintenance works’ have been planned for the bridge, it added.

But speaking at the council meeting yesterday, Mrs Nabavi said: “Removing a tree is totally insufficient.”

She asked that the council puts more resources into maintaining the bridge and its appearance.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRs) about the bridge, Cllr Geoff Hill, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “It’s on a normal maintenance schedule as everything is.

“The bridge is in good order, it’s safe, obviously. There is some foliage needing to be removed but that will be on the normal maintenance programme and that will be done in due course.”

A council spokesperson added: “To confirm, the Royal Borough is responsible for maintaining Maidenhead Bridge on a day-to-day basis.

“We are currently working with our contractors to investigate reported overgrown ivy at the site.”

Another general inspection of the bridge structure is planned for August next year.