Historic Congham Bridge to remain filled in with concrete after National Highways wins appeal

A historic West Norfolk bridge will remain buried in concrete after a bid to have the work reversed failed following a public inquiry.

The Government’s Planning Inspectorate has upheld an appeal from National Highways against an enforcement notice requiring the material to be removed from around the structure.

The rare concrete bridge, which spanned the dismantled Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway at Congham, was infilled with concrete by National Highways in 2021 under permitted development rights which relate only to emergency works remaining in place for no longer than 12 months.

However, the infilling was intended to be permanent, resulting in the scheme being deemed unauthorised.

Although retrospective planning permission was sought, the application was refused by West Norfolk Council last October, and an enforcement notice was issued for the infill to be removed.

However, the state-owned company submitted an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate, leading to the public inquiry which concluded in early June.

Yesterday, it was confirmed that National Highways had won its appeal.

Laura Renaudon, the planning inspector overseeing the inquiry, ordered that the enforcement notice also be quashed and planning permission for the work be granted.

Her final report said: “It is a finely balanced case but I have come to the conclusion that the identified harm is outweighed or, in the terms of the relevant policy, compensated for, by those other factors.

“The harm to the value of the heritage asset is regrettable but needs to be balanced against the asset’s overall low significance, the fact that the bridge is preserved, albeit buried, and the other factors in the case.

“Those include the considerable benefit of delivering a loading capacity of the bridge that will safely accommodate all forms of traffic including the agricultural vehicles that work the local land, engendering public confidence in the highway, and removing what had become a local focus of anti-social behaviour.

“Overall I find these matters adequate to compensate for the loss to the heritage and landscape values of the bridge. Accordingly I find that the development complies with the development plan for the area.

“No material considerations, including that of the emerging Neighbourhood Plan, are sufficient to dictate a decision otherwise than in accordance with it, and it follows that permission will be granted.”

Martin Carter, the barrister representing National Highways, had previously argued that the borough council had overstated the heritage significance of the bridge.

However, the Planning Inspectorate’s decision has been met with frustration from The HRE Group, which campaigns to protect historical railway lines.

Members believe that National Highways has “got away with” its decision to infill the Congham bridge.

Graeme Bickerdike, a member of the group who had delivered evidence during the inquiry, said: “We’re obviously disappointed that the infill is to remain. This was an unnecessary and destructive scheme that has resulted in the loss of a noteworthy heritage asset of regional significance.

“National Highways misrepresented its own formal engineering evidence in an attempt to justify its actions, undermining trust and confidence in how it operates. In that context, to get away with it is rather troubling.

“As we transition to more sustainable forms of transport, legacy railway structures have the potential to play an increasingly important role and their value must be recognised by those responsible for their custodianship.

“The loss of this one - simply to reduce liabilities - was short-sighted and indicative of cultural issues.”

The work has proven controversial ever since it was carried out. It cost more than £126,000 and sparked concerns from nearby residents.

The historic railway bridge structure once carried the Lynn to Fakenham railway line.

The line closed in 1959 but the bridge has remained in use, carrying a quiet country road, St Andrews Lane, across the now-abandoned track.

National Highways previously said that the bridge was in “very poor condition” and stated that it had safety concerns about the volume of traffic it could support.