BRIDGE IS AN ASSET TO CITY

28 April 2005

I used the slip bridge time and time again as a child and then as a parent. Children loved to climb those steps, it was an adventure to walk across the bridge and then walk down to the sand.

Where else in Swansea could you do that?

As for the nearby toilets there were nothing wrong with them, they were old but they were always kept spotlessly clean.

Swansea has had its share of white elephants but the bridge was never one of them.

Please put it back where it belongs.

Mrs T Lewis
Cave Street
Cwmdu
Swansea

NEW HOME FOR BRIDGE DESPITE SAFETY CONCERN

Ben Evans - 27 April 2005

A New home has been agreed for Swansea's historic Slip Bridge - despite safety fears. Yesterday, councillors voted in favour of a controversial plan to relocate the landmark to the foreshore cyclepath, opposite the Recreation Ground in Mumbles Road.

Despite unanimously backing the proposal, members admitted they were worried that children could easily clamber onto the structure and badly hurt themselves if they fell.

Councillors stopped short of a suggestion to place rubber safety flooring around the bridge.But they insisted that measures were taken to prevent possible accidents.

Councillor John Miles said he was also worried that the bridge would be more open to being damaged in its new spot.

He said: "My fear is that it will be another plaything for vandals. I'm also concerned about the health and safety element - it is more easily accessible to be climbed on by youngsters."

Planning officer David Gill admitted to councillors that he had also expressed his reservations about the safety of the new location.

He told them: "It is something which I raised when we looked at this application. Children will be drawn to it like a magnet."

But fencing will be put up to make it difficult for anyone to get on it and run along the top."

Councillor Roger Smith suggested surrounding the bridge with the rubber flooring found on children's playground but his colleagues dismissed the idea.

But Councillor Rob Speht said he believed the cyclepath location was safer than when the bridge spanned Oystermouth Road. He added: "It is much closer to the ground than where it was before and people could have just as easily climbed on it then."

The bridge was moved to the Recreation Ground more than a year ago, following a report which found its condition had deteriorated badly.

The intention then was to repair it and put it back. That suggestion was thrown into doubt when the cost of putting it back and maintaining it was revealed to be in excess of £1 million.

But a decision over its future was delayed following a £35,000 public consultation exercise which proved inconclusive.

The bridge had stood over Oystermouth Road for almost 100 years. The original abutments still stand.

The council has proposals to transform them into modern toilet facilities and a cafe kiosk.

The way the saga has been handled has even come to the attention of the local government ombudsman who contacted the authority earlier this month.Council bosses insist the relocation will be a success.

Anthony O'Sullivan, the authority's transport and engineering chief, said: "This is an exciting project which will give the bridge a new lease of life."

It will allow it to remain a prominent and striking feature of Swansea Bay."

The bridge will be preserved for walkers and cyclists and will also be used by the popular land train as part of its extended route."

A Swansea Civic Society spokesman added: "The bridge proposal is not ideal."

However, at least a visual presence of Swansea's past will have a prominent position on the prom."

SLIP BRIDGE FUTURE IN HANDS OF PLANNERS

Liz Perkins - 25 April 2005

Swansea's Slip Bridge may have its final resting place decided this week. The controversial plan to relocate the bridge to the foreshore cyclepath, opposite the Recreation Ground in Mumbles Road, has been recommended for approval.

Planners on Swansea Council will decide tomorrow whether the move should be rubber-stamped.

The bridge was moved to the Recreation Ground after reports it had badly deteriorated. The intention then was to repair it and put it back.

That suggestion was thrown into doubt when the cost of putting it back and maintaining it was revealed to be in excess of £1 million.

Its fate was set to be decided through a public consultation, costing £35,000, but the results were inconclusive and the way the saga has been handled has even come to the attention of the local government ombudsman.

The local authority's director of environment has now submitted a scheme to relocate the bridge to the promenade.

A report into the scheme, said: "This application would normally be determined under delegated powers.

"However, having regard to the previous public opinion research with regard to the future of the Slip Bridge, the application is reported to this committee for determination.

"The Slip Bridge has been removed from its original location above Mumbles Road following concerns of the condition of its structure, and is temporarily being sited within the Recreation Ground.

"This proposal seeks to relocate and refurbish the Slip Bridge to a location along the promenade, opposite the Recreation Ground, to allow cyclists, pedestrians and the Land Train to travel between the spans of the bridge.

"The main issues to be considered relate to the visual impact of the relocated Slip Bridge to this prominent location adjacent to the listed Cenotaph structure, and its impact upon pedestrians and cyclists along the promenade.

"It is proposed to resite the Slip Bridge to a prominent location along the promenade, which consists of an elevated grassed embankment above Mumbles Road so the spans of the bridge would be visually apparent.

"The retention of the trees along the side of Mumbles Road would soften the visual impact of this view, and it is proposed to refurbish and paint the spans of the bridge in an appropriate colour to mitigate its visual impact."

PUT LANDMARK IN WALES'S HEARTLAND

Editorial - 25 April 2005

Second Severn Crossing? Pah! When it comes to a location for an iconic landmark for Wales, there's only one contender - Kilvey Hill overlooking Swansea. The Thames has got its London Eye, The North has got its Angel . . . all we have to do is find an icon to represent Wales.

The idea that an architectural icon has to be positioned at a gateway to Wales is misconceived. Heartland is where you want to be and Swansea's where the heart is.

Meanwhile, you can contrast the iconic landmark debate with Swansea's Slip Bridge.

Destined for the cyclepath, it requires some screening. If it's that ugly, why bother at all?

KIOSK PLAN A DELIGHT

21 April 2005

I Was delighted to read a statement by council leader Chris Holley in your paper a few weeks ago that it was Swansea Council's intention to establish small, kiosk-type retail outlets under the arches of the abutments of the Slip Bridge. When is the plan going to be put into action, I wonder?

I have just written to Councillor Holley to find out. If any other readers are interested in saving, and putting to good use, the stylish structures I hope they will also write to Mr Holley.

Mrs McGrane
Highpool Close
Newton
Swansea

UGLY, LOVELY SLIP BRIDGE

20 April 2005

An investigation into the Slip Bridge issue (Watchdog could probe Slip Bridge saga, Post, April 8) by the local government ombudsman is not a day too soon and should be pursued before the Swansea administration carries out its latest insidious and injudicious act, resiting the span of the bridge apart from its original abutments.

The anti-bridge brigade who criticise the bridge by calling it unsightly and a monstrosity should remember Dylan Thomas's words: "Swansea's an ugly lovely town."

E Ford
Middle Road
Gendros
Swansea

BLOT ON THE LANDSCAPE

19 April 2005

I, and many people I have spoken to, are shocked to read that Swansea Council is retaining the abutments of the Slip Bridge. At least the one on the land side is not so conspicuous, but the one on the sea side is nothing more than a big, dark, dirty, ugly carbuncle of an eyesore. What a dreadful blot on our beautiful shoreline.

I urge the council to think again. Use the supports on the land side if you must, but please - not the sea side. They have to go.

I also hope the council has set some money aside for a sand cleaning team to be available when we have one of our regular sand storms. If this area is to be developed , we can't allow it to resemble the Sahara Desert.

Evidence of last October's storms still lingers on the pavements.

Jayne Robinson
Neath Road
Plasmarl
Swansea

OFF THE RAILS, UP IN THE AIR

15 April 2005

Parking mad. Ten spaces short of a multi-storey. That's how their political opponents are hailing the new £5 city centre car parking charge announced yesterday by the ruling coalition on Swansea Council, and there's no surprise there.

After all, this is the Crazy Gang we're talking about here, the people with the Big Picture for Swansea - and their latest big picture, following box office smash A Bridge Too Far Gone, is Slip Bridge II - The Abutments.

They don't come bigger than that.

Better still, the buzz on the streets is that the next big picture is already in the making. Working title? Slip Bridge III - The Local Government Ombudsman.

Now that might be one worth watching.

Back to the car parking row, and critics say the new charge is unfair.

Why should ordinary people have to pay £5 to use places such as the East Burrows Road car park on the river bank next to Sainsbury's, they argue, when the car parks at the Guildhall and County Hall which the councillors use are free?

I should have thought that was obvious.

The East Burrows Road car park, or part thereof, is very possibly the last in a long line of celebrated city centre car parks with an almost complete lack of white lines and a lagoonscape to die for ("You've more chance in the river than if you fall into one of those ruts") - and who needs CCTV in 21st Century Swansea?

A fiver for a few hours with your very own piece of history? Cheap at the price. But hurry - it won't be there much longer. The asphalt is going down now.

The hike in the car park fee, of course, is congestion charging by another name: the aim is to price us out of our cars and entice us on to other forms of transport to meet EU targets for cuts in greenhouse gases.

So what has the coalition in store for us, and why? There's the park and ride, of course, but that was more a Labour Party thing.Indications are that the Crackpot Coalition has new ideas all its own - cutting edge, state-of-the art ideas to create a truly 21st Century transport system for 21st Century Swansea.

To this end, they have ransacked the most sophisticated of technical reports and industry studies (Trainspotters' Annual 2003), debated long into the night in the most prestigious of research institutes ("'Aven't you got no 'omes to got to?"), and paid hush-hush visits to the cities boasting the western world's most advanced mass transport systems (Manchester, Nottingham and Sheffield), before coming up with the perfect solution for Swansea: The Tram.

The Tram, it seems, is the answer to everyone's prayers. The Tories because it could be privately owned and funded; Plaid because it would reinforce the national identity with yet another of the Great Little Trains of Wales; and the Lib-Dems because it looks trendy - they've all seen them in Amsterdam - and, best of all, because trams are green.

And these will be no conventional trams ultimately powered by fossil fuel, like the late-lamented Mumbles Train, these will be trams as in turbo rail assisted motors, or trams which are powered directly by - what else with Councillor Rob "Spinner" Speht as coalition transport supremo? - wind turbines stationed out in Swansea Bay.

Ah, you say, but they tried this in the 19th Century when they put a sail on the tramcar that then was the Mumbles Train. It was great while the wind blew in the right direction, but when it didn't they had to summon the poor old horse to tow it in.

So what happens when the winds don't blow and the turbines don't turn and the new trams grind to an abrupt halt halfway across the Royal Ashleigh?

Not a problem, ladies and gentlemen. The crafty coalition is trialling the back-up system first.That's why the Swansea Bay Rider route has been extended from Blackpill to St Helen's.Via the soon-to-be-repositioned Slip Bridge, of course. Woof, woof.

BRIDGE CAN STILL GO BACK

14 April 2005

I Agree with G Smith (Have your Say, April 7) regarding the Slip Bridge. It was an act of vandalism to remove it and will create an even more ludicrous situation if its supports are allowed to remain where they are, supporting nothing but the grief for a lost friend.We are told that the decision of the council to remove the bridge in the first place was because of falling masonry from the supports.Surely it is not safe to make shops and so on out of them. If this is not so, there is no reason why the bridge cannot be returned to its rightful place.The picture of the bridge in its supposed new resting place was ridiculous. In the past the council has gone to great lengths to preserve the view of the sea from the promenade - even going so far as to purchase a house on the front so it could be knocked down to maintain the view.Now they may take this immense bridge and plant it on the promenade, where it will encourage young people to climb and no doubt deface it. Put the bridge back where it belongs. It is not too late.

H DaviesPenygraig RoadTownhill, Swansea

SLIP BRIDGE NON STARTER

13 April 2005

Even in the 1930s when the beach at the Slip was extremely busy, the Slip Bridge was a complete white elephant. The Mumbles train stopped on the beach side of the road. Access to the beach was via a gated level crossing. Invariably the gates were open to pedestrians, so it would have been madness to cross the road with families merely to use the bridge.Even if the gates were closed, they only needed to be closed to pedestrians for about five minutes. Who would want to take children, push-chairs and beach paraphernalia over the road, and up and down the steps, for the sake of waiting five minutes?The Slip Bridge must have been the biggest white elephant built by any Swansea council, and the whole lot should be demolished as quickly as the council demolished the adjacent public toilets.As for putting the metalwork on the promenade, this surely must be some sort of joke.It would do nothing for residents or visitors. I suppose some might think it was some kind of artwork, similar to the leaf in Castle Square.The abutments of the bridge are a blot on the landscape. The proposed commercial development as a cafe etc, surely would be economically available.Alternatively a new toilet block and shelter would be the most sensible idea with a bridge in the bay for children to dive off. An imminently sensible suggestion.

B WilliamsParc Wern RoadSkettySwansea

WATCHDOG COULD PROBE SLIP SAGA

NINO WILLIAMS - 08 April 2005

Swansea's handling of the Slip Bridge saga may be probed by the Local Government Ombudsman after a complaint about the affair. The bridge was moved to the Recreation Ground more than a year ago, following a report which found its condition had deteriorated badly.But a decision over its future was delayed following a £35,000 public consultation exercise which proved inconclusive.The council now wants to find it a permanent new home along the foreshore promenade.But the way the matter has been handled has come to the attention of the Local Government Ombudsman.He has contacted the council, but has yet to decide whether to pursue the issue with an official investigation.A spokesman for Swansea Council said: "We have responded to initial contact from the ombudsman."This is standard practice in what is the first stage of the process."It is now up to the ombudsman to decide whether to pursue the matter."The bridge had stood over Oystermouth Road for almost 100 years.The original abutments still stand.The council has got proposals to transform them into modern toilet facilities.Eileen Walton, of Swansea Civic Society, said today: "The whole issue of the Slip Bridge has been very badly handled."We did not see the initial report about what was wrong with it and the costings were never made clear to us."It is not just a bridge, but an icon of the past."We have lost so much in Swansea and it was the last part of the Mumbles railway, which many people remember with affection."It will be interesting to hear whether the ombudsman decides to launch an official investigation, and what exactly he will be looking at."

SLIP: TAKE THE PLUNGE!

08 April 2005

Although dangerous and rightly banned, diving into the Marina used to be a source of entertainment for many youngsters. Onlookers also enjoyed the occasion because there is nothing better than to see people having fun. Such enjoyment could continue for decades, and for little cost, by making the Slip Bridge a diving platform.If put end on into the sea, a few yards the other side of the tidal range and near to its original position, shuttering could be attached to the sides. The interior could then be filled with concrete. This would create shallow and deep diving options at either end. In addition, slides could be fixed to the apex for the use of toddlers when the tide was out, making it an all-day attraction.The stone supports could also be used as diving platforms in selected areas of the beach as an alternative to the present diving opportunity, which is a mere four-foot stormwater pipe.Swansea could then claim to be the only beach in the area, and perhaps the UK, with diving structures. Such a distinction would be an attraction for many, young and old.If the bridge is used elsewhere, the council should at least consider creating diving facilities. Concrete walls jutting out into the sea would be sufficient and would also act as an aid to erosion prevention.Youngsters could then have more fun using the beach instead of being continually banned from this and that. Such structures would also alleviate the pressure on Blackpill.

Harry LewisGomer Road, Swansea

WHY SHOULD WE CONCEDE DEFEAT?

08 April 2005

I Think it would be great to have shops, toilets or a cafe in the archways of the Slip Bridge as it used to be years ago. I can't understand why Swansea Council will not put the bridge back at its original location. It should never have been taken down.Why should we concede defeat? What we should be doing is forcing the council to put it back.

Marjorie LewisTydraw Road, Bonymaen, Swansea

DEFEATING THE OBJECT

08 April 2005

Swansea Council's plan to move the Slip Bridge to another location (Post, April 4) is defeating the object. It's foolish and will be an embarrassment to the citizens of Swansea - and what are the tourists going to say? The administration is hiding behind excuses and will not listen to what the people want.

Until the authority get its act together and returns the bridge to its rightful place, the electorate will continue to bicker until it has satisfaction.

E Ford
Middle Road
Gendros

SO MUCH FOR OPENNESS

07 April 2005

So much for the openness and honesty that the council coalition promised the people of Swansea. It is clear that the Lib Dem-Independent-Conservative alliance has had no intention of returning the Slip Bridge to its rightful place.The debate about the future of the bridge has been a total sham. It is true to say that the people of Swansea are not unfamiliar with this type of play acting by their elected members.However, Councillor Gerald Clement goes too far when claiming the bridge could not be returned because of the need to comply with disability rights legislation on access (Post, March 30).The legislation that he refers to is about ensuring that people with a disability have equal access to services and public facilities. With the ground level road crossing and the slip ramp onto the beach, the bridge is not an issue for people with a physical disability. To suggest this as a reason for not putting the bridge back is a dishonest, cynical and unprincipled use of people with disabilities to justify a decision which is more much likely to be about ensuring that the developers of the seafront flats can sell accommodation with a view.If Councillor Clement really wanted to ensure people with physical disabilities could access the bridge, he might suggest that some of the extensive publicly owned ground around the bridge is used to develop a ramp that addresses the Guildhall side of the bridge and another that replaces the steps at the slip ramp side of the bridge on the beach.

Gary Smith
Bryn Road
Brynmill
Swansea

UNVEILED: NEW HOME OF THE SLIP CHRIS PEREGRINE

CHRIS PEREGRINE - 04 April 2005

This is what Swansea's much-loved old Slip Bridge could look like in its new home along the promenade cyclepath. An idea of how the new feature of Swansea Bay will look was today unveiled via a computer-generated graphic produced by the council.No date has yet been set for making it a reality but the plans have moved a step closer with the council submitting a planning application to itself to site the bridge along the cyclepath on the seafront.The famous bridge has spent the last year sitting in a temporary site on the recreation ground car park next to St Helen's.It was taken there after being removed from its original home over Oystermouth Road following concerns for the condition of the structure after nearly 100 years of service.A £35,000 public consultation exercise last October on what to do with it proved inconclusive, so the council cabinet decided on the new location.Anthony O'Sullivan, the authority's transport and engineering chief, said: "We have now submitted a planning application to install the bridge along the seafront."This is an exciting project which will give the bridge a new lease of life," he added."It will allow it to remain a prominent and striking feature of Swansea Bay."The bridge will be preserved for walkers and cyclists and will also be used by the popular land train as part of its extended route."Meanwhile, the council is keen to find a good use for the abutments to the bridge.It is likely that the beachside abutment will be turned into modern toilet facilities, regarded as overdue by many who use the area.The cabinet will receive a presentation on the proposals shortly.A Swansea Civic Society spokesman said today: "The bridge proposal is not ideal."However, at least a visual presence of Swansea's past will have a prominent position on the prom.''

PUT BRIDGE BACK PLEASE

04 April 2005

It's good news that the Swansea Council has plans to plant a honey-pot at the beach at St Helen's by installing toilets and maybe a cafe in the archways of the Slip Bridge to pave the way for Blue Flag status (Arches could be kept as viewpoint, Post, March 21). This would mean crowds of people being attracted to the beach, just as they used to.But the council's plan to resite the span of the bridge will defeat the object. It is, after all, a bridge to span two points, it would be like separating Jack from Jill.We all know what Blackpill is like in peak periods when pedestrians are trying to cross the road.The new administration at Swansea Council should stop passing the buck and hiding behind excuses, and replace the span of the bridge to its original abutments for people to cross over.In the long term, this will help prevent tailbacks in busy periods.

E FordMiddle RoadGendros, Swansea