Peterborough MP seeks to force council rethink on closure of three footbridges at Cuckoos Hollow

A petition is being put together in a bid to secure the reopening of three public footbridges at a Peterborough beauty spot.

Residents are being urged to help force Peterborough city councillors to debate the decision of council officers in January to shut the trio of wooden bridges at Cuckoos Hollow in Werrington.

The council announced on January 5 the bridges between Werrington and Gunthorpe - adjacent to Baron Court, Lakeside and Welbourne - would be closed to the public from January 8 for the foreseeable future because of safety concerns.

Peterborough MP Paul Bristow says that decision has angered many nearby residents who used the bridges each day for a variety of reasons.

Now he has organised a petition opposing the closures and is seeking to collect 600 signatures, which is the number needed to ensure the issue is put on a Full Council meeting agenda for discussion by councillors.

Mr Bristow said: “The bridges were closed by the council without any consultation with residents.

“That decision has caused enormous annoyance for a good many people who regularly use those bridges.

"Common sense would have suggested that the council close just one bridge at a time.

"Instead the council has uncritically accepted the worst case scenario and this is why they are all closed.

"It should have got a second opinion about whether it would be possible to repair two of them while keeping one open.

"This petition will force councillors to discuss this issue at a future council meeting so residents will have some sort of insight into the timeframe for replacements.”

But Werrington First Councillor John Fox said: “The council has employed professional engineers to examine the bridges.

"If they say the bridges are unsafe why would you call for them to be kept open?

"We had concerns about these bridges eight months ago and we asked for officers to get involved.”

A council spokesperson said: “We are actively progressing with plans to replace the bridges at Cuckoos Hollow with enhanced permanent structures and anticipate that construction will start in Summer/ Autumn 2024.

“In the meantime, we continue to consider options for temporary replacement structures although the cost of temporary repairs is likely to be prohibitive."