Council bosses defend £5m spend to restore Grimsby's Corporation Bridge

Corporation Bridge, Grimsby Credit: ITV Calendar

Council bosses have defended spending nearly £5m to save Grimsby's historic Corporation Bridge after a wave of opposition.The bridge features alongside The Dock Tower on the Grimsby version of Monopoly and is governed by an Act of Parliament which orders the bridge to be lifted on specified request for shipping.North East Lincolnshire Council agreed to carry out the work at a cost of £4.9m and secured a grant of £3million from the Department of Transport to keep the bridge and Corporation Road open to traffic.

Council portfolio holder for environment and highways, Councillor Stewart Swinburn said:

The councillor was responding to criticism of the scale of the investment to restore the iconic structure.Chairman of the Friends of the Freshney, Keith Watkin questioned whether such a large amount of public money was needed for the bridge to be lifted.

"It has to be lifted once a year and that is not cheap. But it would be nice if it could be used for a purpose. there are not many bridges like it. We need to keep it looking nice but what is the purpose of lifting it? But all that money being spent on it has to be for a purpose."

The bridge was lifted twice this week and it is hoped the work will preserve the structure for future generations.

History of Grimsby's Corporation Bridge:

  • The bridge is a landmark in Grimsby, which was originally built in 1925 and was officially opened by the Prince of Wales in 1928 after costing £60,000 to build, which would have been more than £3m today.

  • The bridge was used by troops for practice in storming bridges in Holland and Germany against the Nazis in The Second World War.

  • It had its last refurbishment in 1980, but since then its condition has deteriorated and it needs regular work to maintain it.Historic England principal adviser David Walsh, said:

“Historic England welcomes the substantial investment in repairing Corporation Bridge which makes such an important contribution to Grimsby’s port heritage."