SLIP WATCH

PETITION TO SAVE BRIDGE ABUTMENTS

2005-11-14T11:00:00.000-08:00

14 November 2005

Four thousand people have signed a petition calling for Swansea's Slip Bridge abutments to be saved, it has emerged. The landmark structure was taken down in March 2004, amid a huge furore. It now stands on a new foreshore site close to the St Helen's rugby and cricket ground.

A decision on what is to happen to its remaining parts on either side of Mumbles Road has still to be taken. However, a campaign group says it wants to see them saved for posterity.

Organiser, local DJ and entertainer Plastic Sam said it was recognised it was now too late to have the original bridge reinstated, but said he hoped the stone abutments could be used with a replica crossing.

He said: "We are not just being Victor Meldrews about the bridge. We would have liked to see it go back, but that probably isn't going to be possible.

"It has been buried on the cycle track and the cost of digging it up and replacing it would probably be prohibitive.

"We don't want people to think we are just making trouble. But we think the area could really benefit from some development there.

"Putting a replica bridge there could be the catalyst for investment on the beach side of Mumbles Road. Personally I'd like to see a cafe there.

"We think the issue needs to be raised by the council with private companies."

The group already has around 4,000 signatures on a petition calling for the abutments to be saved and a crossing replaced.

Eddie Ford is another hoping to persuade the council to look at the Slip Bridge site again. He said: "We are not happy with the way the council has gone about it at all.

"We are not politically motivated, we just want to see the Slip Bridge back in place.

"I was born and bred in Swansea, I'm a real Swansea Jack. I want to see the city's heritage and history saved."

Swansea Council has said that the area is part of seafront redevelopment plans, although no decisions have been made yet.

A spokesman added today: "The council will be bringing forward proposals regarding the future of the abutments in due course."

LIFELINE FOR SLIP BRIDGE

2005-10-15T09:16:00.000-07:00

14 October 2005

It would seem possible that the Slip Bridge could be incorporated in the new lifeboat launching structure being planned by the lifeboat authorities. At least it would then be serving some useful purpose. It might not be an engineering possibility, but at least it's a thought.

R M Lewis, Highpool Lane, Newton, Swansea

MATURE TREE FACES AXE?

2005-09-29T11:00:00.000-07:00

29 September 2005

Now that the Slip Bridge sits in its new and absolutely useless position, it's only a matter of time before the stonework is demolished, leaving no trace of the former well-loved landmark. This will afford the residents of the new prestige flats a pleasant sea view. But not quite! There is a large and mature tree in the line of sight.

How long will it be before the said tree is found to be diseased and requires felling?

Cynical? Me? Very!

Mike Aldron, Llangyfelach Road, Swansea

NEW APPEAL TO RESTORE SLIP BRIDGE LAUNCHED

2005-09-23T11:00:00.000-07:00

23 September 2005

Campaigners are launching a fresh appeal to restore the popular Swansea Slip Bridge to its former glory. They say they do not want to see the giant bridge resurrected from its new home on the seafront, but are calling for a new structure to span the abutments that are still in place on Oystermouth Road.

The bridge was removed from its home after engineers revealed it had badly deteriorated.A consultation on what to do with the popular bridge failed to find a clear consensus.A relocation option was therefore approved.

Local DJ Plastic Sam and Gary Perkins are leading the rally and say that they have huge backing behind their Slip Bridge Support Group.

Sam said: "There are about 25 of us. We have kept it quiet, but now we are ready to establish where we are going."We have got a couple of thousand people who have signed up their support."

The campaigners will be in locations throughout the city tomorrow looking to collect more signatures.

Sam said that their campaign is more than just pie in the sky and that they are confident the cash is available to deliver a new bridge across the busy road.

He said funding could be found from grant sources and wants businesses like Corus to be brought on board.

He added: "We don't like it on the prom but it doesn't make sense to move it, we would want a replacement.

"The abutments are in good condition so they form an equal part of the Slip Bridge which is down the road partly buried.

"It is not the best option, but certainly worth fighting for."

A spokesman for the council said: "In its new home, the Slip Bridge is already becoming a popular feature on the promenade.

"The council will be bringing forward proposals of its own regarding the future of the abutments in due course."

RENAME THE SLIP BRIDGE

2005-09-13T11:00:00.000-07:00

13 September 2005

It takes considerable time to explain to visiting friends and relatives the various manoeuvrings of our city fathers concerning the Slip Bridge. Dumped on the promenade as if by some massive hurricane, we should give permanent credit where it is due.

Hurricanes have names, so why not simply refer to the structure now adorning the promenade as Holley's Folly?

M Morgan, Bro Dirion, Dunvant, Swansea

DO BRIDGE JOB PROPERLY

2005-09-06T11:00:00.000-07:00

6 September 2005

Whatever the rights and wrongs of the Slip Bridge saga, it is now in its new foreshore home at a cost, I understand, in excess of £100,000. What a pity then that a few coppers could not be found for doing the job properly.

The ground on one side of it has been roughly seeded over with grass with a deep bed of gravel and stones still in situ from construction work. What a mess! If a job is worth doing . . . as they say.

Alice Jones, Mumbles Road, Swansea

ONLY FIT FOR SCRAPHEAP

2005-08-26T11:00:00.000-07:00

26 August 2005

As we approach the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, how does Swansea Council react to this historic event? By vandalising the picturesque green avenue leading up to the cenotaph on the promenade, by cutting down mature trees and dumping on the path that ugly, black monolith known as the Slip Bridge.

This decaying heap should have been taken off to the scrapyard. It looks totally out of place at this location.

Perhaps the council should balance it all up by dumping a few scrap cars on the other side. Then the impression of a rubbish tip on the promenade would be complete.

Sion Thomas, Windmill Terrace, St Thomas, Swansea

BRIDGE IS BACK IN BUSINESS

2005-08-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

19 August 2005

The latest chapter in the saga of Swansea's Slip Bridge was written yesterday when it officially took its place on the seafront cyclepath and walkway. Work has been going on for weeks to ensure everything was in order for its new home on the promenade.

And the all-clear was signalled by the first crossing of the Swansea Bay Rider land train.

The landmark bridge was controversially taken down from its original place over Mumbles Road after nearly 100 years following concerns about the condition of the structure.

The council's decision to safeguard it and install it on the seafront has brought mixed reaction.

But, blissfully unaware of the controversy, John and Barbara Pegler - on holiday from Southampton - had the honour of being the first passengers aboard the train as it crossed the bridge for the first time.

"We are very happy with it," said Barbara. "We walked from Swansea to Mumbles the day before and were very impressed with the seafront - there is the bay, it is green and there is plenty for children to do."

Swansea Council said the bridge's new home ensured it remained part of Swansea's history and would also play a part in its future.

MORE THAN JUST A SLIP

2005-08-15T10:00:00.001-07:00

15 August 2005

I Have the misfortune to pass regularly the sight of the beautiful Slip Bridge being buried under the cycle path opposite St Helen's. Might I suggest that the Post has a collection for a tombstone with the inscription "Here lies Swansea heritage, killed by council neglect 2005".

K Hargreaves, Sketty, Swansea

SLIP SHUNTS LAND TRAIN OFF RAILS

2005-08-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

15 August 2005

It is a case of as you were for Swansea's summer land train . . . This season the Swansea Bay Rider was to have tackled a longer route along the promenade than in previous years.

It used to just run ran from Blackpill to Southend Gardens, Mumbles but this year saw the route extended to St Helen's.

However, the Slip Bridge saga has had a knock-on effect on the plans, it has emerged. The bridge was controversially moved to the cycle path along the foreshore last month in a scheme costing council taxpayers around £120,000.

The work on it has brought it into direct conflict with the land train - it can't get past it.

"The normal route for the Swansea Bay Rider is currently reduced as a result of ongoing work to the newly installed Slip Bridge," said a council spokesman.

"These temporary measures have been well advertised along the seafront.

"Once the work has been completed, the rider will resume normal service."

But no timing was given on that. Work on it has still to be completed. The bridge had spanned Mumbles Road for almost 100 years before falling into disrepair.

But a decision to move it was taken last year after it was found massive restoration work would be needed if it was to stay where it was.

Foreshore walker Cliff Buck, of Gendros, said: "It looks as daft as ever."

OPEN GRAND VIEW OF BAY

2005-08-09T10:00:00.000-07:00

9 August 2005

Now the Slip Bridge has reached its resting place, I wonder if the council could remove those ugly, useless abutments and open up a really grand view of the bay for residents and visitors? And could we do something with the stonework?

I would like to see a semi-circular bandstand with steps all round to the beach, with a few slides for the children.I

am sure families with three or four children, who can't afford bus fares every day in the holidays, would appreciate an alternative to Blackpill.

I would also like to see a replacement toilet block near the old site, and please not a squat, grey, windowless structure like the one in the Quadrant.

What about an innovative round structure with red bricks and a conical roof? Something we can look at and use with pride in the years ahead.

G Harris, Gwydr Crescent, Uplands, Swansea

BRIDGE IS A GREAT FARCE

2005-08-08T10:00:00.000-07:00

8 August 2005

I Am sure that you continue to receive many letters of protest about the treatment meted out to the Slip Bridge by Swansea Council, but I must nevertheless add my own. Every day I pass the ludicrous sight on one of Swansea's most famous landmarks, left to look like wreckage that has been washed ashore following an exceptionally high tide.

I cannot begin to understand the thinking behind such a bizarre decision. Nor can I fathom how they thought that the majority of Swansea people would be happy with the result.

The only certainty involved is that we do not need another referendum to confirm that they have turned Swansea into a laughing stock.

Colin Rees, Overland Road, Mumbles, Swansea

SOUVENIRS A LUCRATIVE LINE

2005-08-04T18:00:00.000-07:00

4 August 2005

Now that we are starting what is known in the media as the silly season, I would like to suggest a couple of ideas for recouping the expense of re-siting the ugly/lovely Slip Bridge.

Cut the bridge into souvenir-sized slices (preferably before the sticky paint goes on). Display them in a see-through container together with a photograph of the original and a potted history. They would sell like hot cakes to all lovers of the structure. How could they resist owning such a piece of memorabilia at, say, £20 a piece?

Organise a mammoth auction to sell off, stone by stone, the abutments. Again, the lovers of the bridge would flock in their thousands to add a little piece of history to their garden rockeries.If the right spin doctor was appointed, who knows, the scheme might even make money.

Pat Richards, Bendrick Drive, Southgate, Swansea

TIME TO BUTT OUT ON SAGA

2005-07-26T18:00:00.000-07:00

26 July 2005

The Slip Bridge saga won't be over until the council admits it has made a mistake and demolishes the stone abutments. The bridge was deemed unsafe because bits were falling onto the road, and the abutments were loose with weeds growing through them.

Suddenly, 18 months later and at great cost, all three can be used again - separately!

I hope the council will reconsider the plans for developing the abutments and for once take on board what the people of Swansea want.

They must now realise that no-one wanted the bridge relocated to the promenade.

However, this had already taken place before any further plans were made for the abutments. The council must accept these are two ugly monstrosities and the seafront would be better off without them.

There have been many good articles in the Post regarding the farce of the Slip Bridge.

Jonathan Isaacs and Stuart Walters wrote good articles and letters - but both stopped short of mentioning the abutments.

If the council feels there is a need for towers and shops in this area, it should build new ones at one-storey level. Please don't block the fabulous view of our bay.

Many people I have spoken to have said how ugly these two pieces of stonework are. So, please, if you agree, some show of support would be appreciated.

Jayne Robinson, Neath Road, Plasmarl, Swansea

SLIP BRIDGE HOOLIGANISM

2005-07-22T03:50:00.000-07:00

22 July 2005

Returning home after a few weeks away, I was saddened to see what may well be the worst case of mindless vandalism in the history of mindless vandalism. Before I left, the old Slip Bridge was simply an eyesore in the Recreation Ground, doing no more harm than taking up space.

Imagine my horror, then, on seeing that some louts had somehow managed to get the thing across the road and dump it on the promenade.Of course, it's always the aim of vandals to cause ugliness and inconvenience to the rest of us, but these yobs have surely gone beyond the pale.

I hope the police are working on this case with the urgency it deserves and are close to an arrest.

I'm sure all law-abiding people will join me in demanding the harshest possible punishment for these hooligans, as well as making them responsible for the cost of putting right the damage and nuisance they have caused.

John Jones
Goetre Fach Road
Swansea

SLIP UP OVER SLIP BRIDGE

2005-07-20T18:00:00.001-07:00

20 July 2005

This week there has been much debate about the Slip Bridge being relocated. Sitting in the inevitable hot weather traffic jam on Oystermouth Road gives one time to reflect on how the powers that be missed an opportunity to relocate this historic bridge to Blackpill.

There it would have been put to good use in allowing parents and children to pass unhindered and unhindering from Clyne to the excellent and well used paddling pool.

Surely payback would come from the considerable reduction in pollution produced by thousands of idling cars and buses.

Tony Currell
Pwll Du Lane
Bishopston

TREE FELLING TO HOUSE BRIDGE IS 'VANDALISM'

2005-07-20T18:00:00.000-07:00

20 July 2005

A Swansea councillor has rapped the felling of trees to make way for the repositioning of the city's Slip Bridge in Mumbles Road. The landmark has been switched from Oystermouth Road and incorporated in the foreshore footpath near Singleton Park.

West Cross ward councillor Des Thomas said he was particularly upset several trees had been felled to accommodate the structure.

Mr Thomas said he did not like the result of the work.

He said: "To remove so many mature trees which were part of a beautiful avenue and to replace them with such an ugly old structure of no architectural merit is surely an act of environmental vandalism."

CONCEDE DEFEAT ON BRIDGE

2005-07-19T18:00:00.000-07:00

Graham Williams, columnist, 19 July 2005

Several people have approached me in recent weeks to ask why I have not broached the subject of the Slip Bridge in this column. Basically, there is a very simple reason inasmuch as I like to make these columns as lengthy as possible, and the whole sorry saga of the Slip Bridge can be summed up in just one word: ludicrous.

Some readers may recall that I did offer an opinion or two when the relocation of the bridge to its new site on the promenade was first announced some time ago.

It was a daft idea then and it is a daft idea now, and it will still be a daft idea when children, yobs and drunks begin falling from the highest points of the structure and clogging up the A &E unit at Morriston Hospital. Non-drying paint - what a brilliant idea. Does this mean that in a few weeks time it will be covered in grains of sand, dead leaves and empty crisp packets that have stuck to the metalwork?

I maintain that the council should either have put it back on the stone abutments or scrapped it altogether.Plonking it down in a prominent position on the seafront is no solution at all, and is as about as aesthetically pleasing as the notion of inviting the good citizens of Swansea to bring along their old fridges, cookers and rusting bicycles and setting them in concrete on the promenade.

Regular readers will have realised that I am something of a nostalgia freak and believe that Swansea's architectural heritage should be preserved.

I would even dispute the oft-repeated description of the bridge "lacking architectural merit", since in its original position it possessed a strength and a sense of purpose.

But what has been done with it now smacks of trying to preserve one's deceased pet dog by having it stuffed, mounted and placed on the hearth: it might bear a vague resemblance to what it had been during its lifetime, but it will never be the same again.

Better by far to concede defeat and give the poor thing some dignity in death.Truth to tell, I have never been a great one for the seafront in any case.

This weekend I visited the Maritime Quarter to watch some of the events held as part of the Swansea: A City That Dances festival and was genuinely shocked at the manner in which the physical approaches to the marina have been allowed to deteriorate.

The area surrounding the skateboard park at the side of the leisure centre, for example, has become a hugely intimidating and run-down stretch strewn with earth, wood chippings and black tyre marks made by boy racers, while the arches leading to the marina positively reek of despair (and worse).

It will undoubtedly remain like this until the leisure centre (perhaps the only example in the UK of a building which was constructed the wrong way around but no-one spotted the mistake until it was too late) is revamped and brought up to scratch.

Even then, however, the leisure centre will have its own built-in "lifespan" after which it will, after a few short decades, be declared unfit for its purpose. What a blessing that the likes of Sir Christopher Wren did not work to similar guidelines - after 20 odd years the dome of St Paul's would have been torn down and replaced by a branch of Lidl.

WASTE OF PUBLIC FUNDS

2005-07-18T18:00:00.002-07:00

18 July 2005

I Read that Councillor Richard Lewis is reporting the former Labour cabinet to the Ombudsman for leasing a building in Swansea as an Activa gym because he feels that it was such a waste of money.

Will he therefore also be reporting his political colleague Chris Holley and his cabinet for a similar waste of public funds over the Slip Bridge consultation and for ignoring the majority view that wanted it reinstated?

Sylvia Edmunds
King Edward's Road, Swansea

PAINT SLIP UP WONT STOP CHILD CLIMBERS

2005-07-18T18:00:00.001-07:00

18 July 2005 (Nino Williams)

Planners hoping to make a Swansea landmark childproof have slipped up, according to critics. They say children will still be able to scale the Slip Bridge, even though it is to be coated with anti-climb paint.

Swansea Council last week announced that the bridge - now in its new home opposite St Helen's - is to be coated with a special paint in a bid to prevent young people from potential injuries by climbing over it. The special paint is intended to make it virtually impossible to climb by remaining in a slippery gel form.

Signs are to be erected around the bridge warning people of the paint. But it has emerged that it will only be applied above two metres, to comply with manufacturers' and safety guidelines.

That would leave much of the bridge still available for youngsters to climb upon - at the risk of injury.

Chartered surveyor Gary Perkins said: "If the paint is only applied above adult head height, it means children will still be able to play upon the bridge.

"In fact, it could even become a challenge for them to prove they can climb upon it."I hope the council has a lot of insurance for potential claims.

"It just proves the whole project has been badly thought-out."

Mr Perkins also questioned how effective the paint would be when it becomes mixed with sand blown on to it.

But Swansea Council has hit back, saying the effect from sand will be negligible.

A council spokesman said: "The paint will prevent climbing where applied. It will not be affected unduly by sand. "There will be signs as appropriate, similar to the signs used at other locations where such paint is utilised.

"It would be logical to expect anti-climb paint to be applied to a structure like this as a safety precaution.

"The paint will only be on the upper surfaces, two metres above ground and over."It has not been painted yet. It will be in due course. The bridge is black to comply with planning consent."

SLIP BRIDGE WAS SLIP UP

2005-07-18T18:00:00.000-07:00

18 July 2005

I would guess that the majority of the Swansea electorate was prepared to give the new council administration a reasonable opportunity to prove itself after having spent the previous 27 years in the wilderness. However, its policy of trying to please everybody has been a disaster during the last 12 months. Opinion as to whether the Slip Bridge should have been restored in its original location or scrapped are subjective, but no one I have spoken to has wanted it on the promenade.

It appears that the council is as out of touch with the electorate as were the French and Dutch governments in the recent European Union referenda.

As a Friend of Oystermouth Castle and the son of a Second World War Merchant Navy engineer, I feel that the cost of moving the bridge, £155,000 including consultation costs of £35,000, would have been better spent in part funding the four-year repair project at the castle, and not waiting six years before providing only £20,000 towards the cost of the Merchant Navy Memorial.

In addition, the Evening Post has published numerous letters from me and other tennis, bowls and netball players, detailing why the proposed change of use of the Swansea Tennis Centre is a ludicrous idea. If the council decides to proceed with this project it must repay the £650,000 owing to the Lawn Tennis Association and lose a £3 million grant from the Sports Council. This new facility will, therefore, become the most expensive in Europe.

Larry Owen
Westwinds
Mumbles
Swansea

AT LAST WE APPEAR TO BE GETTING SOMEWHERE

2005-07-16T08:20:00.000-07:00

16 July 2005

Council leader Chris Holley admits they've got it wrong over the Slip Bridge but what he seems unable to grasp is that it was no surprise to the rest of us. Could it be that this confession was down to the fact that his former agent and longstanding Lib Dem colleague Gary Perkins voiced his concerns? Added to this is the fact that I understand Mr Perkins is a chartered surveyor and someone who couldn't be hoodwinked into a course of action that he knew to be professionally inappropriate.

What exactly did they get wrong? After all, it was in the Lib Dem Election Focus for Uplands Ward that they promised to reinstate the bridge, so I ask was it the 455-vote (5.3 per cent) majority who wanted the bridge refurbished and reinstated (not the two per cent that Councillor Holley insisted on Swansea Sound) that they seem unable to accept ? Or was it the £35,000 wasted on a consultation exercise that was ignored? Or could it be the fact that this administration, which purports to be open and fair, took the decision to relocate the bridge behind closed doors?

By the way, what's happened to the £350,000 put aside by the previous administration for the reinstatement of the bridge? No-one's mentioned that.

Add all these facts to the U-turn over the leisure centre and the parking fees fiasco and what have you got? More Holley's Follies.Now that Councillor Holley has admitted his mistake, I ask who is going to pay for it?

I, and presumably the majority of the people who voted in the consultation exercise would, I'm sure, agree it is unfair that the people of Swansea pick up the tab; so Councillor Holley, you botched it up, you cough up. Maybe in the future we won't have these rash decisions being made one day and unmade the next.

The bridge in its new location isn't even parallel with the promenade on which it sits. Could this be because it was positioned under cover of darkness?The local councillors and especially Councillor Holley were conspicuous by their absence.

I can assure you that this matter will not be allowed to end with this letter. After all, there is still the question of the abutments and we have it on good authority there are already vultures circling and names have been mentioned of interested parties who wish to lay claim to them.

Penny Matthews
Eileen Road,
Penlan, Swansea

WHY NO INFO ON BRIDGE?

2005-07-16T06:13:00.000-07:00

16 July 2005

I Found your Opinion article (Post, July 2) regarding the Slip Bridge both inaccurate and on a par with the council's consultation cards. Your people as journalists should be investigating why Swansea Council has been very sparse regarding the information the electorate has requested on the Slip Bridge, and then report the actual facts.

Why is it that children in schools across Swansea have been writing poems about the Slip Bridge, fearing its destruction? It's not a case of nostalgia here. Also, would the Evening Post please let its readers know, apart from Beau Nash House in Caer Street and the restored St Mary's Church, which buildings in post-war Swansea you would say have architectural merit.

I agree with Councillor Des Thomas regarding the felling of four trees on the promenade for the re-siting of the span of the Slip Bridge. They should not have been cut down. But let us not forget it was the old Labour administration that caused this initially.

The Labour administration at the time should have arranged for an inspection and repairs to the bridge in situ. It would have been far more practical and economical. If Councillor Des Thomas has great respect for trees, as I have, I suggest he and his colleagues immediately implement a preservation order on the horse chestnut trees that are flourishing in between the Morgan Court luxury apartments and the abutments of the Slip Bridge at St Helen's.

E Ford
Middle Road
Gendros, Swansea

TAKE BRIDGE MONEY BACK

2005-07-14T08:31:00.000-07:00

14 July 2005

The sorry tale of the Slip Bridge continues with your report (Council clanger on consultation over bridge fate, July 8) that Swansea Council leader Councillor Holley is unhappy with the results of the public consultation which cost us £35,000. Surely this saga has provided enough material for Mal Pope to write another opera. At the time I wrote to complain about the biased nature of the survey and I also stated that it was unscientific, as respondents did not have to supply their names and addresses only postcodes. There was nothing to stop people submitting numerous forms.

Now for the first time we learn that a majority of the respondents voted in favour of retaining the Slip Bridge. This is surprising considering the fact that the information supporting the options was so biased.

Being a politician, Councillor Holley will understand better than most the meaning of a majority vote. Presumably, if the vote had been in his favour it would have been used to support the removal of the Slip Bridge. However, he wishes to avoid this majority decision by complaining that "the process was prone to being influenced by a pressure group".

This could have been done by either the "For" or "Against" factions yet Councillor Holley offers no proof that it actually happened.Swansea Council employed Opinion Research Services to conduct a survey which has proved to be a dismal failure. It should not be paid for this contract and if it has been paid then the council's legal department should take action to recover the full £35,000.

Mike Stroud
Gabalfa Road
Sketty
Swansea

SLIP BRIDGE RELOCATION "DESTRUCTIVE"

2005-07-13T07:26:00.000-07:00

Article by Nino Williams
13 July 2005

The relocation of the Slip Bridge has been labelled destructive and badly planned by critics. Environmentalists insist that trees which were supposed to have been safeguarded were cut down to make way for the bridge.

And a chartered surveyor claims that its new foundations have been poorly thought out.

The bridge was finally lowered into place over the weekend when it completed its journey from its original home across Oystermouth Road to the foreshore.

The decision to move the bridge was taken after it was found to need major investment which could have left the council facing a bill of up to £1 million over the next 15 years.

A public consultation exercise was carried out to help determine its fate, but despite some support for the scheme, opposition to it continues from some who claim the project is a waste of taxpayers' money. Now Swansea Friends of the Earth claim a number of trees have been cut down on the Mumbles Road side to accommodate the bridge - contrary to the original plans.

The group's chairman Roy Jones said today: "The planning papers state specifically that the siting of the Slip Bridge would seek to retain the trees on the Mumbles Road, but in fact the trees on the Mumbles Road side have been cut down."We need to protect our dwindling tree cover and botanical heritage from arbitrary decisions made without public consultation."

Chartered surveyor Gary Perkins claims that the project has been over-engineered, resulting in an overspend because of excessive use of materials.

Mr Perkins said: "The council seems to have lost sight of the fact that this is a bridge."Instead of two supported ends they have nine intermediate points."They only needed two foundations across the width of it at either end and not the full length of the bridge. The unprotected steel in the soil is likely to corrode very quickly."

They have used a lot of manpower and materials at the taxpayers' expense that was unnecessary".

Callers to the Evening Post have also voiced concerns that youths may chose to climb on it, putting themselves at risk, or that it may become the target for graffiti.

Swansea Council has defended the move, and has revealed that it will be coated with a special layer of paint that remains in a gel form to deter people from climbing on it.

They also revealed that new trees have been planted to replace any that were cut down.

A spokesman said: "The trees were removed following consultation with the council's tree officer and replacement trees have been planted. The planning consent stated trees to be retained where practical.

"The nine beams were an integral part of the structure and gave it rigidity whilst it was being lifted into pace. The unprotected steel is now non-structural and is to be encased in concrete as part of the finished job."

PROTESTS. BUT SLIP BRIDGE REHOMED

2005-07-11T08:31:00.000-07:00

Article by Sian David - 11 July 2005

Love it or loathe it, it's here to stay. The final chapter in the saga of Swansea's Slip Bridge drew to a close yesterday as the landmark reached its final resting place, changing the face of the city's foreshore forever.

The bridge was moved to the cycle path along the foreshore on Saturday night in a scheme costing council taxpayers around £120,000.

It had spanned Oystermouth Road for more than 100 years before falling into disrepair.

But a decision to move it was taken last year after it was found massive restoration work would be needed if it was to stay where it was.I

t would have cost close to £700,000 with another £250,000 on top over 15 years in maintenance charges. So at the weekend it was at last shifted into position after having a basic facelift including a coat of paint. Its new home on the foreshore path opposite the city's Mumbles Road Recreation ground is where it will now stay.

The move aroused strong feeling in many city residents over whether the bridge should be saved or scrapped. Some wanted it to be restored and returned to its original home over Oystermouth Road.

Others labelled it a waste of money and insisted it should go.A tiny handful of protesters gathered at the new site yesterday to voice their protests as a giant crane was brought in to hoist it into position.

Protest organiser DJ Plastic Sam labelled it "a great waste of money".Chartered surveyor Gary Perkins, who was also against relocating the bridge, said he was concerned that children and skateboarders would use the bridge as a climbing frame and could possibly get hurt.

He added: "They have lost sight of the fact that this is a bridge. It doesn't serve any purpose here and it doesn't look nice. It's just become a giant climbing frame."Passer-by Edward Addicott, aged 77, said he also thought the relocation was a waste of money. "For the life of me I cannot see why the bridge was put there when the money is needed for the roads and schools."It's really upsetting for the people of Swansea to come down here and look at that, it doesn't look nice and kids will climb on it and get hurt," he said.

However, others disagreed saying it was an important part of the city's heritage and deserved to be saved."I think it looks great,'' said foreshore cyclist and mum-of-two Val Hughes, of Gorseinon. "It is nice to see a feature being made of it,'' she added.

Oystermouth Road was closed overnight on Saturday while the work was carried out. Specialist lifting equipment had to be drafted in to move the bridge from the Recreation Ground on Mumbles Road.

It was dumped there more than a year ago, following concerns over the condition of its structure first raised in December 2003.

Cabinet member for the environment John Hague said: "This is an exciting project which will give the bridge a new lease of life and remain as 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."

SLIP SAGA TO COST £120,000

2005-07-09T18:00:00.000-07:00

Article by Shaun Greaney and Brian Walters
9 July 2005

Saving Swansea's landmark Slip Bridge and placing it on the promenade will cost council taxpayers £120,000, it was revealed today. The bridge will be moved tomorrow to its new location on the foreshore along the cyclepath near Singleton Park.

A leading opponent of the bridge's new destination, radio DJ Plastic Sam, has slammed the massive cost and is urging people to demonstrate in force at the site tomorrow.

"It is a waste of money," he said.

The DJ said a catalogue of errors had prevented the popular bridge being placed back on the stone abutments either side of Mumbles Road by the Baye View Hotel.

He said the ultimate error came in Swansea Council's admission yesterday that the £35,000 consultation exercise had been a mistake.

Council leader Chris Holley admitted there had been an error in the handling of the Slip Bridge questionnaire. The outcome of the consultation could have been skewed by a pressure group sending in a host of forms after picking up hundreds from Swansea Library, he said.

He added: "That was the mistake we made but to verify the result would have cost an absolute fortune.

"Sam, who came up with alternative plans to provide a cafe and restaurant alongside the abutments by the Baye View to help rejuvenate the area, said he accepted the new location was a done deal.

"But I would urge the many disgruntled people of Swansea to turn out in force tomorrow to demonstrate to the council that they are unhappy with the way this matter has been dealt with by the council," he said.

He is asking people to turn up by the new location at 8.30am tomorrow.

John Hague, cabinet member for the environment, said the movement of the bridge was "an exciting project which will give the bridge a new lease of life and remain as a prominent and striking feature of Swansea Bay".

A council spokesman said: "The cost of the refurbishment of the structure and its relocation on the promenade is likely to be in the region of £120,000. This includes the hire of a specialist crane which will lift the structure into place during an overnight road closure."

YOU CAN'T PLEASE ALL OF THE PEOPLE

2005-07-09T08:36:00.000-07:00

Evening Post Editorial - 9 July 2005

There's a very great risk that in years to come it will become known as Holley's Folly. If that is the case, it will be a tad unfair - one person shouldn't shoulder all the blame for one of Swansea Council's most clumsy decisions.

It probably started with the foolish desire of trying to please all the people - a £35,000 consultation exercise which Mr Holley was forced to admit was a mistake.

The Slip Bridge move, due to be carried out this weekend, is about as bonkers as you can get.A rusting relic is renovated and then placed on the foreshore so that it's a bridge which isn't a bridge.

We can think of 120,000 reasons why the Slip Bridge should have been scrapped.

COUNCIL CLANGER ON CONSULTATION OVER BRIDGE FATE

2005-07-08T18:00:00.000-07:00

Article by Shaun Greaney - 08 July 2005

Swansea Council leader Chris Holley has admitted the authority dropped a clanger over the Slip Bridge consultation. The £35,000 exercise was hoped to point the way forward for the council on the thorny question of what to do with the bridge, which had fallen into disrepair.

But now, Councillor Holley has admitted the process was prone to being influenced by a pressure group or individuals.

The admission comes after a long-standing Liberal Democrat local activist resigned from the party, attacking his party's actions while in power as "stupid".

Gary Perkins was part of the Cwmbwrla and Manselton Focus Team but became disillusioned after the Lib-Dems took power at County Hall in a coalition pact with Independents and Conservatives.

The party's handling of the Slip Bridge was the last straw for the former election agent to Councillor Holley.Mr Perkins said £35,000 of council tax payers' money was wasted in the consultation exercise over the bridge.

He said there was a 5.3 per cent majority in favour of keeping the bridge and returning it to its original location.

But Mr Perkins said the decision to site the Slip Bridge on the seafront promenade was taken behind closed doors and never put before the public.

"I'm absolutely appalled by the way the party has been operating," said the Lib-Dem member for the past 16 years.

He attacked the U-turns made by the council over the leisure centre, saying the authority said one thing one night and another the next.

"They clearly can't make their minds up what's going on. Either that or there's a hidden agenda," he said.

But Councillor Holley denied the accusations.He said a mistake had been made in the handling of the Slip Bridge questionnaire, whereby the outcome could have been skewed by a pressure group sending in a host of forms after picking up hundreds from Swansea Library.

"We couldn't guarantee that hadn't been done by one individual or one pressure group," said Councillor Holley.

"That was the mistake we made but to verify the result would have cost an absolute fortune."He added: "The decision was made by the administration and not just the Liberal Democrats."

SLIP UP OVER BRIDGE PLANS

2005-07-08T08:30:00.000-07:00

08 July 2005

I can well appreciate people's comments over the Slip Bridge and that decisions have already been made. I feel the bridge should be returned to its rightful place of origin and I wonder how many people would agree with me if they were aware of the proposals for the abutments of our beloved bridge.

My partner and I recently had a letter from Chris Holley. In it he mentions that on the beach side, toilets and a water spray are to be installed and that on the town side, the abutments will be put to commercial use - an ice-cream parlour and cafe. This, I fear, causes a safety problem, as people on the beach will inevitably be asked by children for ice creams and so on and how will they access the shop? Across a busy Mumbles Road, by pedestrian crossing.

But how many people will inevitably dodge the busy traffic rather than wait for the lights to change in their favour?

This will be an accident waiting to happen. It will create a problem for motorists and pedestrians alike.However, if the bridge was put back, it would be safer for all to cross the busy Mumbles Road.

I want the people of Swansea to know what the proposals are and decide what their views would be.

I am all for these amenities, but at what safety cost?

Ms L Davies
Manselton Road
Manselton
Swansea

P.S. What a waste of money. We already had toilets there and they pulled them down when they could have renovated them.

TIMBER! ANGER AS TREES CHOPPED

2005-07-02T18:00:00.001-07:00

02 July 2005

A row has broken out after mature trees were chopped down to make way for the new home of Swansea's Slip Bridge. Swansea Council has been accused of environmental vandalism after the foreshore trees were felled this week.

The old bridge is about to be moved to a permanent new home on the foreshore footpath opposite the Recreation Ground. But to do it, workmen have been forced to cut down trees.New trees will be planted but people are still angry.

West Cross councillor Des Thomas says the authority has acted irresponsibly by cutting down the trees to make way for the structure.

He said today: "This is environmental vandalism."They are replacing these trees with scrap iron which will end up as a giant climbing frame."I have been investigating having tree preservation orders put on a site in West Cross, which has been earmarked as the location for the new Welsh primary school.

"I was told the council doesn't put orders on trees on its own land because it is deemed to be a responsible landlord.

"If this is an example of an authority acting responsibly, then it doesn't give me any confidence.

"These trees were irreplaceable."

The Slip Bridge is being placed into the walking and cycle route along the seafront.

Originally spanning Oystermouth Road, the bridge was moved for safety reasons more than a year ago.

When it was moved to the Recreation Ground, the intention was initially to give it a much-needed revamp and put it back in place.

But when costs began spiralling, councillors decided to incorporate the bridge into the promenade.

Contractors will use specialist lifting equipment to transfer the bridge to its new home on Sunday, July 10.

Cyclist Peter Evans, aged 42, of Blackpill, said he was shocked when he saw the trees going. He added: "There aren't enough trees in Swansea as it is. It's crazy to knock them down.''

Fay Nash, of Uplands, said: "I'm sure I can remember the trees going up to replace elm trees which were diseased. "It seems a real shame.''

A council spokeswoman said the removal of the trees had been included in the original plans approved by councillors.

She added: "The relocation has required the felling of four trees, which was essential in order to construct the base for the bridge.

"These will be replaced in suitable locations adjacent to the bridge so that there will be no net loss of trees on the promenade."

THIS IS JUST A BRIDGE TOO FAR

2005-07-02T18:00:00.000-07:00

Evening Post Editorial - July 2005

In Years to come when Swansea's ruling coalition councillors have retired, they will be able to recount with pride projects such as the National Waterfront Museum and Morfa Stadium, which were completed during their tenure of office. Will they be able to remember the Slip Bridge with similar satisfaction?

We very much doubt it.

The council is spending a significant sum to install this ugly old structure with no architectural merit on a foreshore site that has benefited from major landscaping over the years.

Now salt has been poured into this environmental wound. To make way for the bridge, four mature trees have been chopped down.

All for what? To appease a handful of Swansea residents with memories of walking across the bridge many years ago to spend time on the city's beach.

The bridge might have been tarted up but it will serve no more useful purpose at its new location than it did at its previous site. It will do nothing to improve the quality or look of the bay, which is unquestionably one of Swansea's finest assets.

What is certain is that the bridge will become a target for vandals and the cause of accidents involving children and drunks climbing all over it.

WORK STARTS FOR BRIDGE MOVE

2005-06-30T18:00:00.000-07:00

30 June 2005

Work has started on preparing the new seafront site for Swansea's old Slip Bridge. Specialist lifting equipment will be drafted in to lift the bridge into position at its new home on July 10. Groundworks for the project are now underway.

The Slip Bridge originally spanned Oystermouth Road but was taken down following an inspection which highlighted its poor condition. Specialist bridge contractors have been busy carrying out vital steel repairs to the landmark structure and making sure the bridge can withstand the forces of nature for many more years.

Its new site will form part of the popular walking and cycling route along Swansea's seafront.

John Hague, Swansea Council's cabinet member for the environment, said: "This is an exciting project which will give the bridge a new lease of life to remain as a prominent and striking feature of Swansea Bay."

BRIDGE MUST BE SCRAPPED

2005-06-28T18:00:00.000-07:00

28 June 2005

Driving by the Slip Bridge now that the covers are off, it begs the question of just how much more time and money is going to be wasted by putting it in another location. It will be completely out of character to place it anywhere along the cycle path.

The Opinion column (Post, June 21) is so completely right. The council is a laughing stock and as such should make the firm decision to scrap the bridge sooner rather than later.

Even the diehards for retaining the bridge must see by now the futility of the project. Can they really see it placed in a different position?

Roy Edmonds
Silver Close
West Cross
Swansea

SLIP BRIDGE GETS READY FOR NEW SEAFRONT HOME

2005-06-27T18:00:00.000-07:00

LEON WATSON - 27 June 2005

Swansea's Slip Bridge will be transferred to its new home next month after the completion of work to give it a new lease of life. Specialist lifting equipment will be drafted in to lift the bridge into position at its new home along the seafront.

The work will take place on Sunday July 10.The Slip Bridge originally spanned Oystermouth Road but was taken down following an inspection which highlighted its poor condition.

It would have needed hundreds of thousands of pounds spending on it.Specialist bridge contractors have been busy carrying out vital steel repairs to the landmark structure and making sure the bridge can withstand the forces of nature for many more years to come.

Planning permission was recently approved by Swansea Council to allow the bridge to be transferred to its new home, where it will form part of the popular walking and cycle route along Swansea's seafront.

John Hague, Swansea Council's cabinet member for the environment said: "This is an exciting project which will give the bridge a new lease of life and remain as a prominent and striking feature of Swansea Bay."

People on the foreshore path yesterday gave the idea cautious welcome.

Cyclist Kevin Davies, aged 43, of The Grove in the city's Uplands added: "I think it will become quite a focal point in time. But it will also stand out until people get used to it."

Walker Peter Vaughan, aged 56, of Blackpill said: "I still think it is a shame it wasn't kept where it was. It would have served a more useful purpose there."

Officials say it will be necessary to close a section of Oystermouth Road to carry out the operation.

Local police will manage a diversionary route along Bryn Road and Gorse Lane.

A council spokesman added: "The closure will take place from midnight on Saturday, July 9. It is hoped the road will open again by midday on Sunday July 10."

NO CHANCE FOR COUNCIL

2005-06-24T18:00:00.000-07:00

24 June 2005

A recent letter by a reader stated that we should give the new council administration a chance. Why? In their first year in office, they have ignored consultation that wanted to keep the Slip Bridge. They are closing schools left, right and centre and putting up the price of car parking.

If the next three years are going to be the same, I do not think we can afford to give them a chance.

When I contacted my local council office to get litter picked up on nearby land I was told there was no money available and that it was all going to the leisure centre.

I voted Independent but I have got Tories and Liberals running the council. Never again.

M Furnler
Llangyfelach Road
Treboeth
Swansea

SCRAP SLIP BRIDGE

2005-06-21T18:00:00.000-07:00

Evening Post Editorial - 21 June 2005

With further confusion over its final resting place, the Swansea Slip Bridge farce must be brought to a close. Swansea Council is making itself a laughing stock with its handling of this rusting relic of a bygone age.

Enough is enough, the council must bite the bullet and decide that the future of the Slip Bridge is that it has no future.

Scrap it - now!

BUNGLING COUNCIL IN NEW SITE SLIP-UP

2005-06-20T18:00:00.000-07:00

LEON WATSON - 20 June 2005

Swansea's historic Slip Bridge has suffered another slip-up after bungling council officers discovered that its proposed final resting place was too near the city's war memorial. The decaying structure was set to move from the Recreation Ground in Mumbles Road, where it was dumped to undergo repairs, to the promenade opposite.

But after the controversial relocation was rubber-stamped by councillors in April, it became clear there was a big bridge-shaped problem.

If the move went ahead as planned, the ageing footbridge, which stands covered in plastic sheeting, would disrupt one of Swansea's flagship summer sporting events.

Council officers realised the new location would cause a potential conflict at the finishing line of the annual Swansea Bay 10k Road Race and Fun Run.

It was also realised that this location would seriously overshadow the Cenotaph, South African War memorial and Swansea Jack memorial.

Now planners have been forced to lodge another planning application with Swansea Council to approve a new home for the bridge. If the proposals are agreed, it will now stand a little further along the promenade - 87 metres to be exact - to allow the memorials to be accessed.

Objections to the plan, due to looked at on Tuesday, have already been received saying the bridge is of no further use and should be scrapped.

Protesters also said the century-old grade two listed structure was ugly and would spoil views across the bay if it was put there.

Since the bridge was taken down from Oystermouth Road for safety reasons more than a year ago, its future has been uncertain. When it was moved to the Recreation Ground, the intention was initially to give it a much-needed revamp and put it back in place.

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

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

UTTER WASTE OF OUR CASH

2005-06-10T18:00:00.000-07:00

10 June 2005

Come and see Swansea's showpiece waste of money. These were my thoughts as I drove passed the Slip Bridge - now entombed in scaffolding poles and polythene - on the Recreation Ground in Mumbles Road.

Surely the money being wasted on this farce would have been better spent in local schools and hospitals.

The bridge was an eyesore and should have been removed years ago.

I wait with foreboding the span being moved to the seafront.I hope Swansea Council, even at this late stage, will come to its senses and consign the bridge to the scrapyard where it belongs.

Ray Durran
Llangyfelach
Swansea

UGLY FACE OF THE FUTURE

2005-06-04T18:00:00.000-07:00

04 June 2005

Swansea Council's decision to preserve the old Slip Bridge for posterity by siting it on the promenade opposite St Helen's is a prime example of wistful nostalgia being allowed to degenerate into mawkish sentimentality.

A configuration of iron girders resembling a pair of gigantic coat hangers can only detract from the visual splendour of the coastline. Transplanted onto the scenic vistas of Swansea Bay, it will have all the incongruity of a clapped out old banger abandoned in the centre of a rose garden.

The hallmark of any civic amenity lies in its practical usefulness, its value as an historical artefact or in it being a structure of architectural merit, and this ugly, meccano-like construction has none of these qualities.

While it might for older citizens evoke memories of a calmer past when there was more respect for authority and more clearly defined roles for men and women, the mind is curiously selective and may blank out the realities of 50 years ago when lack of opportunity and social deprivation were a fact of life for many.

Unsightly and superfluous, this blast from the past will be a safety hazard for those irresponsible urchins the city seems to breed in such numbers and who have such a cavalier disregard for their own safety.

The preservation of the Swansea foreshore is more important than the embalming in nostalgia of an old iron bridge of First World War vintage, while an obsession with the mundane objects of the past is not always healthy.

Councillors should concentrate their financial resources on projects of more immediate relevance and undertakings of greater vision.

Stuart Walters
Llwyn Carw
Morriston

ANOTHER OWN GOAL FOR THE CRAZIES

2005-05-27T18:00:00.000-07:00

Mike Witchell, columnist - 27 May 2005

A Level playing field. That's what the property companies always say they are looking for in prospective new development sites, so they must have been drooling at the bottom line when the Swans at long last quit Vetch Field.

But if they thought their goal of making a quick buck was within easy reach, they had reckoned without Swansea Council.

Far from unveiling a stunning new regeneration project for the old ground even as the roars died away after the very last match against Wrexham, instead there was a deafening silence from the crackpot coalition which runs the council cabinet, a silence every bit as deafening as those that used to follow an own goal of an altogether different stripe.

It was only this week - nearly three weeks later (who said time was money?) - that we were shocked to learn that there is nothing on the drawing board for the Vetch, let alone the masterplan we had been so eagerly anticipating from the visionaries who dreamed up the set for Carry on Slip Bridge.

No matter. Community-conscious as ever, the Worlds Apart Trust has commissioned top urban regeneration gurus fagpacketdesigns.com to create some exciting new concepts to give council leader Chris Holley and his buddies a helping hand.

This is what they came up with:

Vetch Field Urban Village
A unique new approach to 24-hour living in the 21st Century, the village comprises terraced homes - what else? - on four sides of an outdoor amenity area, or village green, which comes complete its very own Skylight security lighting system. Pity someone's stolen all the grass! Choose from a hat-trick of exclusive new house designs: the "Kenny Jackett" starter home, the "John Toshack" pre-fab - quick to put up, quick to come down - and the "Tony Petty" house of marked cards in the landmark East Tower with its New York-style loft apartments. With the Trundle's Head - er, sorry, Feet - the Trundle's Feet pub as the centrepiece of village life, it has to be a surefire winner.

V-Wing
Controversial it may be, but prisons are profit these days! And with a mass of new laws to defend our civil liberties - not to mention compulsory ID cards - promised by Tony Blair's newest of New Labour Governments, the notion of a larger penitentiary can hardly be a hard sell, except for the jailbirds, of course. Better still, it could push forward gender equality with one for the girls, as it were: Wales's first-ever women's prison. Another first for Swansea!

Parc Vetch
Still saddened by the demise of Castle Gardens? Then Parc Vetch is for you! Laid out along classical lines, with stands of trees and terraced gardens leading down to the evocative Cyril the Swan Lake overlooked by a piece of Swansea City heritage - the carefully conserved Harry Griffiths tea rooms from underneath the old Centre Stand - Parc Vetch would provide a green lung for our increasingly congested city. In your dreams.

Vetch Field Square
Now this is more like it, as well as being the cheapest of the various options. Building on the stunning success of the Castle Square makeover in the city centre, the square would be another eye-catching example of concrete art within a built environment. Simply demolish the stands, re-cement the terraces, add a couple of seats and a few planters - plus the world's most feeble fountain in the old centre circle - and there you are!And there we are. Unless, of course, the Crazy Gang decide to move the goalposts.

Did I hear someone say Asda?

SLIP BRIDGE IN PAINT JOB FOR MOVE TO PATH

2005-05-20T18:00:00.000-07:00

SIAN DAVID - 20 May 2005

The first phase of work to restore Swansea's landmark Slip Bridge will begin this weekend. The bridge will be repaired, cleaned and painted before it is transferred to its new home along the seafront.

The work is expected to take six weeks to complete.It will be the final chapter in a saga that has been continuing for almost 18 months.

The landmark bridge spanned Oystermouth Road for almost 100 years, but was removed to the Recreation Ground in Mumbles Road over a year ago, following concerns over the condition of its structure in December 2003.

Pieces of the bridge were falling on to passing traffic below.The move aroused strong feeling among residents on whether it should be saved or scrapped.

A £35,000 public consultation on what to do with the landmark failed to reach a consensus.It was decided last month to relocate the landmark to the foreshore cyclepath, opposite the Recreation Ground where it currently stands.

Anthony O'Sullivan, head of transportation and engineering for Swansea Council, said today: "We have recently appointed specialist bridge contractors who will undertake a number of jobs."Work will include steel repairs, cleaning and painting to ensure the bridge is restored, bringing the structure back to life."

A secure compound will be built around the bridge while the work is being carried out, which means that some car parking spaces at the Recreation Ground will be temporarily lost.

The council has advised drivers to use parking facilities at the university, County Hall or the city centre while the work is carried out.

John Hague, cabinet member for the environment, said: "This is an exciting project which will give the bridge a new lease of life.

"It will 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."

SHORELINE COMES FIRST

2005-05-12T18:00:00.000-07:00

12 May 2005

The Post has published many letters from readers both for and against the retention of the Slip Bridge. Your Opinion column has contained some very valid material over the past months. I have no idea why it took Swansea Council so long to make a decision as to the outcome. Possibly they had to read the tarot cards, or cast the runes a number of times. Perhaps they are still waiting for a reply from Madame Blavatsky!

The report from Jonathan Isaacs on Friday April 29, on the bridge saga, really says it all. The splendid cycle path should not be destroyed by installing the bridge anywhere near it.

At the same time, dispense with the two towers that supported the bridge, and open up the wonderful shoreline Swansea is so fortunate to have.

Roy Edmonds
Silver Close
West Cross, Swansea

SLIP UP OVER RAIL BRIDGE

2005-05-06T18:00:00.000-07:00

06 May 2005

In March last year, engineers declared the Slip Bridge unsafe. It was caged off and banned from public use. Yet the council's proposal (Post, April 26) to relocate the bridge along the promenade is to allow pedestrians, cyclists, and the land train to pass through the span, is an accident waiting to happen.

The council also intends to plant trees along the side of the span, and refurbish it with paint.

Is the planting of trees to hide the bridge because of their infantile idea, or will they allow contractors to coat it with invisible paint, so their big embarrassment won't be seen at all?

Any persons wishing to protest against this fiasco can obtain a complaints card from the reception desk at County Hall or the Guildhall.

Or, if they wish, can contact the Local Government Ombudsman on 01656 641150.

E Ford
Middle Road
Gendros
Swansea

SLIPPERY SLOPE OF FIASCOES

2005-05-04T18:00:00.000-07:00

Columnist - 04 May 2005

It is a curious fact of local life that here in Swansea we never seem to get anything right. There is a terrible, crushing inevitability about the catalogue of errors that have plagued the city in recent years, from the political hokey-cokey which surrounded the closure of the leisure centre and the "will-they-won't they" saga which led up to an eventual (and costly) reprieve right through to the Slip Bridge fiasco, the irretrievable loss of David Evans which has since been transformed into a pound shop, and even the state of the central bus station, a place so unimaginably horrific that some people wait for a bus from inside the doorway of Debenhams.

And now we are told that a sloping playground at Swansea's showpiece £3.5 million Sketty Primary School (above) has been deemed unsafe because children have been falling down and hurting themselves on it.

The local education authority says that the closure of the playground is "not an embarrassment". No? Well, let me tell you, speaking as an expert to whom embarrassments of one sort or another are a daily occurrence, I have to say it seems pretty embarrassing to me.

Playgrounds, of course, are subject to health and safety guidelines just like everything else but this seems like a classic example of bureaucracy which has not only gone mad but is running around gibbering in its pyjamas with a pair of underpants on its head.

When I was a pupil at Mayhill Junior School (since when it has been ludicrously renamed Seaview Community School) I remember breaking through a sizeable gap in the railings in order to scramble about in the old bomb craters that were scattered on the grassy hillside sloping away from the building.

Now that was what I call a slope.

Try running down that hillside and the chances were you would not stop until you hit the wall of Dyfatty Flats.

And anyway, if health and safety is such a big priority, would someone please mind explaining to me why the council seem to think it is perfectly fine to place a hugely incongruous and potentially dangerous climbing frame on the promenade near the Cenotaph?

I refer of course to the metal span of the Slip Bridge, which - mark my words - will be attracting not only children and youths but drunken daredevils, vandals and graffiti artists when it is finally put in place on the promenade.

And what of the stone abutments which still stand on either side of Oystermouth Road without the metal span which once bridged the gap?

They are to become a new home for a kiosk and toilet facilities, with viewing platforms placed at the top.Hang on a minute - viewing platforms at the top? If replacing the span in its original position was supposedly flying in the face of new legislation regarding access for the disabled, then surely the same argument applies to the proposed viewing platforms which could only be reached by ascending the stone steps.

Unless, of course, those who are physically disadvantaged, elderly or otherwise unable to negotiate the climb would be expected to levitate to the uppermost level like the all-new "flying Dalek" in Doctor Who?

Back to the drawing board, folks - but try not to poke yourself in the eye with your pen or give yourself a paper cut: given the scope of today's health and safety laws, the consequences could be very costly indeed.

BRIDGE IS AN ASSET TO CITY

2005-04-28T18:00:00.000-07:00

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

2005-04-27T18:00:00.000-07:00

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

2005-04-25T18:00:00.001-07:00

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

2005-04-25T18:00:00.000-07:00

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

2005-04-21T18:00:00.000-07:00

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

2005-04-20T18:00:00.000-07:00

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

2005-04-19T18:00:00.000-07:00

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

2005-04-15T18:00:00.000-07:00

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

2005-04-14T18:11:00.000-07:00

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

2005-04-13T18:12:00.000-07:00

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

2005-04-08T18:15:00.000-07:00

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!

2005-04-08T18:14:00.000-07:00

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?

2005-04-08T18:13:00.000-07:00

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

2005-04-08T18:00:00.000-07:00

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

2005-04-07T18:16:00.000-07:00

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

2005-04-04T18:17:00.000-07:00

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

2005-04-04T18:10:00.000-07:00

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

SCHEME TO MOVE LANDMARK BRIDGE ONE STEP CLOSER

2005-03-30T18:00:00.000-08:00

Nino Williams - 30 March 2005

Moves to give Swansea's landmark Slip Bridge a new home are a step closer today. Plans to move the bridge have now been submitted to Swansea Council.

The proposal for the cast iron structure, which has been sitting next to St Helen's rugby ground for the past year, would see it moved across the road to the promenade cyclepath.The bridge's future was decided last month, more than a year after a report revealed its condition had deteriorated badly.

A £35,000 public consultation launched last October failed to find a clear consensus on what to do with it, so the cabinet decided to move it to the new spot on Swansea Bay.

Uncertainty surrounding the bridge, which is nearly 100 years old, was finally resolved when councillors agreed to relocate it to a new home alongside the cycle path opposite the rugby ground.

The move is expected to cost £100,000.

The planning application for the transfer across Oystermouth Road from its temporary home on the rec has now been received by the authority.

The move comes after months of concerned speculation about the future of the old bridge.

Campaigners trying to save the structure at its original location, including members of Swansea Civic Society, have had to concede defeat.

The council insists it was impossible to return the bridge to its original home spanning Oystermouth Road because disabled people would have been unable to use it.

Councillor Gerald Clement, cabinet member for culture and tourism, said: "There will be elements that wouldn't be satisfied apart from the restoration of the bridge in its original place.

"What we have come up with will satisfy most people.

"Had we put the bridge back in its own place, we have would have been going contrary to disabled access provision that we should comply with.

"Now all people will be able to use the bridge and enjoy the architecture within it.

"This is something to be used by everyone."

ARCHES COULD BE KEPT AS VIEWPOINT

2005-03-25T18:14:00.000-08:00

Chris Davies - 21 March 2005

Part of Swansea's land- mark Slip Bridge structure could be saved, the Post can reveal today. Council bosses are looking at retaining the abutments which supported the Oystermouth Road bridge.

They could be used for a cafe, toilets and a viewing platform.

The Post has seen the council's file on the Slip Bridge under Freedom of Information legislation.

It revealed that the authority is looking at making the most of the abutments.

Councillor Chris Holley, the leader of the council, confirmed the plans to the Post and said the proposals could pave the way for that part of Swansea Bay to get Blue Flag status.

He said: "We are pushing forward with it."There is a requirement for water and toilets on the beach so what Councillor John Hague and his environment department have done is they are going to convert the abutment near the sea and put toilets in the two arches and make water available and on top make it a viewing platform.

"Underneath the other platform we are hoping to get somebody in to open up something like an ice cream shop.

"It could be marvellous."

City leaders have decided to relocate the bridge itself and incorporate it into the cycle path opposite St Helen's.

It has been sitting on the nearby recreation ground since being removed from its abutments last year.

The Post revealed it had deteriorated badly and would need a massive amount of money spent on it to return it to glory.

A public consultation on the bridge's future failed to deliver an overwhelming consensus on what to do with it so the option of relocating it was agreed.

Calls for it to be moved to Blackpill as a pedestrian and cycle crossing were dismissed as they would cost just as much as the restoration which was estimated at costing £690,000 with a maintenance cost of £250,000 over 10 to 15 years.

A report on the future of the bridge's abutments said: "It is proposed that these would remain in place with possibly beachside toilet facilities located in the seaward support areas and a small cafe or similar located in the opposite support.

"The beachside support could be adapted to be a lookout post or observation vantage point."

THE WORST OF ALL WORLDS

2005-03-25T18:00:00.000-08:00

25 March 2005

When I read your latest report about the council's plans for the historic Slip Bridge (March 21) I had the distinct feeling that I had fallen down the rabbit hole with Alice.

So now the council proposes to retain the buttresses which would incorporate toilet facilities and a cafe, and would also provide a viewing platform. The steel span itself will be relocated along the cycle path. Which world are the councillors living in?

There is clearly huge public support for the complete renovation and restoration of the bridge and if this can include public facilities, so much the better. If the council is not prepared to conserve this piece of Swansea's heritage, the steelwork should be sold for scrap and the buttresses should be cleared away completely. The council should then cut its losses as there has been a shameful waste of public money in this endless saga.

The proposals outlined in your report are the worst of all options.

Mike Stroud
Gabalfa Road
Sketty
Swansea

SAGA OVER SLIP BRIDGE

2005-03-18T18:00:00.000-08:00

18 March 2005

There's been quite a saga about the Slip Bridge but I cannot see people using it - climbing all the steps when, a few yards away, one can just walk across the road. Secondly, ugly stonework that supported it hides the lovely view across the bay. The seafront land train is just fine, and how lovely it is to see so many walking or cycling along the front.

J Beynon
Huntingdon Close
West Cross
Swansea

SAM'S IDEA OFFERS HOPE

2005-03-17T18:00:00.000-08:00

17 March 2005

I Was encouraged to read of Swansea DJ Plastic Sam's plans for the Slip Bridge (Post, March 10). They would enhance the seafront and it would be an excellent idea to link it to the land train route. I note the article states that public consultation failed to find a clear consensus on what to do with the Slip Bridge.

However, in the interests of openness and accountability, I would urge the council to publish the results of the consultation, and confirm they have been verified independently.

No election or referendum would end up being called inconclusive, even if it is close, just ask Al Gore. On that point, I do not recall one of the options being to relocate the bridge on the bay, it is like a candidate being elected who was not actually on the ballot paper.

Anyway, I would like to say well done, Plastic Sam, and all the best with your proposals.

Richard Teulon
Spring Terrace
Sandfields
Swansea

DJ AIMS TO GIVE BRIDGE NEW LIFE

2005-03-10T18:09:00.000-08:00

Chris Davies - 10 March 2005

A Swansea entertainer is making a last ditch bid to save the landmark Slip Bridge. Radio DJ Plastic Sam has come up with a plan to justify restoring the old bridge to its former glory by developing a new cafe and restaurant alongside the stone abutments.

He has produced artists' impressions of how his proposal could look.

Swansea Council has decided to relocate the bridge and use it as part of the cycle path opposite St Helen's.But Plastic Sam says renovating the bridge would be a catalyst for developing the Swansea side of the popular bay which is underused compared to its Blackpill and Mumbles cousins.

He said: "Maybe no-one was far-sighted enough to think of an obvious option of what to do with the bridge. Seeing as the main point for scrapping the bridge is because it doesn't go anywhere, this is what I suggest.

"Our city planners have now decided to spend money on developing the prom towards the Slip.

"So what better idea could there be for giving the city end of this magnificent bay the fitting tribute of a terminus for the soon to be extended land train?"

The bridge's future was decided last month, more than a year after a report revealed its condition had deteriorated badly.

A £35,000 public consultation launched last October failed to find a clear consensus on what to do with it, so the cabinet decided to move it to the new spot on Swansea Bay.

Plastic Sam says developing the bridge would link up with the council's new plans to turn County Hall into a better-used public building and to bring more investment to the area.

He now plans to meet city leaders and outline his proposals.

"When the city council realised there was not enough in the coffers to save Wind Street from decay they soon found a line of investors ready to foot the bill. Surely we can save another piece of Swansea's heritage," he said.

"I'm throwing down the gauntlet to the council."

RESTORE IT, OR SCRAP IT

2005-03-10T18:00:00.000-08:00

10 March 2005

I am deeply saddened to learn of the council's decision concerning plans for Swansea's Slip Bridge. They have decided to scrap the bridge, despite a majority being in favour of its restoration. Certainly a majority, from the letters on the subject published in this newspaper, which indicate that most Swansea residents want the bridge put back.

The Slip Bridge has been a (practical) part of Swansea for 90 years, and is rightly regarded as a part of our history.

The bridge consists of three parts, two stone abutments and the metal centre span. To save the metal centre span only and remove the abutments is a total waste of time and money, and the "bridge" will have gone. To save one part of the bridge only is a compromise to appease a few of the bridge dissenters and to save money, they say.

Strange this, when millions of pounds are suddenly available for a restored leisure centre.I remember back in 1960 when a previous council in Swansea was given an opportunity to preserve one of the famous Mumbles trains on that system's closure. They chose not to, and today we have just the cab of a tram on display in the museum.

Imagine the sight a complete tram on display would have made. Now this present council, having learned nothing from the past, wants to save a bit of the bridge.We have heard the smug comments of the previous Labour- led council on how they had the money to repair the bridge, and could have done the repairs in situ. Why didn't they?

Now the new council, having wasted thousands of pounds trying to reach a decision, wants to stick a large piece of metal on the promenade where it will serve no purpose at all!

They should put the bridge back in its original place or complete the destruction they have started.

Keith J Roberts
The Causeway
Skewen
Neath

TELL ME WHO IS TO BLAME

2005-03-05T18:00:00.000-08:00

05 March 2005

The citizens of Swansea require a response from the council to the many questions people have asked on the Slip Bridge issue. The main question is, who are the people responsible for clandestinely authorising, not only the demolition of the toilets, but the desecration of this part of St Helen's as a whole without consulting the ratepayers first?

These individuals should give their reasons and be held accountable for their actions for they have not conducted themselves in a manner that befits their office.

E Ford
Middle Road
Gendros
Swansea

GET RID OF SLIP BRIDGE

2005-03-01T18:00:00.000-08:00

01 March 2005

I Refer to the comments made by Tourism Swansea chairman Geoff Haden (Post, February 11) when he stated that the Swansea area has an awful lot of things going for it. If rumours are correct, the area will have another awful thing going for it if the council place a rusting metal monstrosity over a gap in the foreshore pathway.

For heaven's sake, council officers, have the courage to get rid of the Slip Bridge from the bay area.

P L Davies
Southlands Drive
West Cross
Swansea

LET US SEE BRIDGE VOTE

2005-02-28T18:00:00.000-08:00

28 February 2005

The Lib Dems in Swansea are economical with the truth. Councillor Chris Holley said on Swansea Sound on Sunday, February 13, that most of the consultation cards on the slip bridge issue that were returned were in favour of the bridge being put back at its original site.

But because only two per cent responded, they were disregarded.

After a cabinet meeting the Lib Dems informed the Evening Post on February 18 that a public consultation failed to find a consensus on what to do with the slip bridge, so the cabinet decided to resite it.

In a democratic voting structure, the Aye and No votes should be independently counted and published for all to see.

The Lib Dems are trying to override the citizens of Swansea before the votes have been made public and we have yet to see the figures on the consultation votes.

Their decision to move the slip bridge against the people's wishes is outside their authority.

E Ford
Middle Road
Gendros
Swansea

CONFUSION OVER BRIDGE

2005-02-26T18:00:00.000-08:00

26 February 2005

While I am pleased that the Slip Bridge has escaped oblivion, I am confused over its proposed new location "alongside the cycle path, opposite St Helen's". Also if it is going to be, "something that will be used by everyone", what will it stand on?

As to the various costs which have been quoted, I am even more confused. If one considers the costs of placing the bridge on the recreation ground; the cost of a new installation; the expense of dismantling the old abutments and the amount of money spent on the survey, one cannot help but come to the conclusion that it would have been more sensible to have repaired the bridge in situ!

Had this been done, the new administration would have scored on three important issues:

1. Tourism - attractive kiosks selling ice-cream and so on could have been installed under the arches;
2. Culture preservation of a valuable and rare piece of heritage; and,
3. Public relations - we would have applauded them for decisiveness and they could have capitalised on their election victory. Shame.

Mrs M McGrane
Highpool Close
Newton
Swansea

PUT THE SLIP BRIDGE BACK

2005-02-23T18:00:00.001-08:00

23 February 2005

Those who speak by the yard and think by the inch should be kicked by the foot, were my thoughts on Swansea Council's decision to move the Slip Bridge to another site. It was like celebrating New Year's Eve on April 1.

It makes one wonder where all the money to pay for this has suddenly come from.Has someone got a genie in the lamp?

Will the council truthfully inform its citizens why they want to relocate the Slip Bridge?

Do they realise the cost of removing the bridge in its entirety would be much more than the initial quote?

The Slip Bridge must be replaced in its original location, it would be the cheapest method and in 10 years' time we will celebrate its centenary.

E Ford
Middle Road
Gendros
Swansea

WE MUST ASSIST THE COUNCIL

2005-02-23T18:00:00.000-08:00

23 February 2005

Congratulations to Councillor Holley and his colleagues. They inherited many problems from their predecessors. Two main issues are the leisure centre and Slip Bridge.

The people of Swansea had put their faith in them and they have not let them down.

They have decided to resurrect the leisure centre - like a phoenix from the ashes.

Now, the bridge that I visited many times as a child, and have walked over every Sunday for the past 15, years will be moved.

I see how the view will open up when it is gone.

I believe we must be realistic and assist the council with this problem by saying goodbye to this old friend and remembering her glory days when thousands walked her span every week.

Dennis O'Neill
Inkerman Street
St Thomas
Swansea

BRIDGE BID SCUPPERED BY TOILET DEMOLITION

2005-02-22T18:00:00.001-08:00

Chris Davies - 22 February 2005

Swansea's landmark Slip Bridge failed to secure listed status because of the demolition of its adjacent toilet block, it was claimed today. Council leader Chris Holley has revealed that the removal of the public conveniences when it was situated in its original position on Oystermouth Road meant that it was not deemed significant enough by heritage body Cadw to gain listed status on its own.

The toilets were built in the 1920s, the same era as the Guildhall, and featured large marble urinals and mosaics.

They were demolished overnight as part of redevelopment work with the bridge following them in a move in March last year due to the need for heavy refurbishment.

It is claimed Cadw was unwilling to give the bridge alone listed status.

Eileen Walton, of Swansea's Civic Society, said: "It would have been nice if we could have got listed status for the bridge, but it was down to the removal of the toilets, and of the original signal box many years ago."It is easy now to say what should have been done in retrospect, but it is still a shame.

"It would have reflected the bridge as a symbol of the past and a piece of history.

"But we have at last got a decision on its future, and we must try to bring together the past with the present."

Last week the uncertainty surrounding the bridge was finally resolved when councillors agreed to relocate it on a new home alongside the cycle path opposite St Helen's ground at an expected cost of £100,000.

A planning application for the transfer across Oystermouth Road from its current home on the Recreation ground next to St Helen's will now be submitted.

The move comes after almost a year of speculation over its future.Swansea Civic Society has conceded defeat in that battle but is now focussing its energies elsewhere.

The group is now trying to locate a Victorian archway which was situated near to the Slip Bridge and was also removed.

"It was a large wrought-iron archway, which led towards the park.

"It dates back to the Victorian era, and it is things like this, and the bridge, that we must preserve to remember our past.

"So far we have had not have any success in finding out what happened to it."

The society has now asked the council to assist it in its search.

BRIDGING THE DIVIDE

2005-02-22T18:00:00.000-08:00

22 February 2005

It would be nice to see all councillors work together for the benefit of Swansea, its citizens, its heritage and its future.

We really do not want to see councillors trying to score political points by standing on the picket line (as in the dispute over Service@Swansea) or blaming the present administration for decisions made by the previous administration. We have been told by the present administration that the Slip Bridge is regarded as a part of Swansea's heritage and should be replaced.

Councillor Mike Hedges also assures us (Have Your Say, February 17) "that the previous Labour administration wanted to replace a bridge that it considered a Swansea landmark" and that money was made available for repairing and replacing the bridge.

So why is the bridge still rusting away on the Recreation Ground?If insufficient money has been provided, then either the estimated cost of £690,000 is over-inflated to strengthen the argument for removing the bridge or the council's engineers got their sums wrong. Whichever, the shortfall could be found from the council or even from public subscription (a sure way of measuring public support).

There has been a shameful waste of £35,000 in conducting a public consultation exercise which was so heavily biased that the council should have got an overwhelming vote in favour of removing the bridge. Instead the council is not prepared to publish the results of the survey.

There has also been much public speculation that the bridge was removed to improve the view from the newly built flats.

But Councillor Hedges denies this, saying that "the sensible thing to have done would have been to remove the bridge before the land was sold".

So this beggars the question as to how much money has the council lost on the land value by removing the bridge after the land was sold.

Or, to put it another way, how much money has the developer saved by buying the land before the bridge was removed?

The Slip Bridge was and is one of the few remaining pieces of Swansea's heritage.

It should be fully restored. The idea that it should be placed somewhere else along the promenade is just hare-brained.

Mike Stroud
Gabalfa Road
Sketty
Swansea

AT LAST, A NEW SITE FOR SLIP

2005-02-18T18:00:00.000-08:00

Chris Davies - 18 February 2005

Swansea's landmark Slip Bridge IS to get a new home. Cabinet members have agreed to relocate it to a new home alongside the cyclepath opposite the St Helen's ground.

Yesterday's decision followed more than a year of deliberations on what should be done with the bridge.

The Post revealed in December 2003 that it had deteriorated badly and needed heavy investment.

A public consultation failed to find a consensus on what to do with the bridge. But now Swansea's cabinet has backed plans for its new home.

Councillor Gerald Clement, the cabinet member for culture and recreation, said they have now given it back to all of Swansea not just the able bodied.

He said had it returned to its home spanning Oystermouth Road disabled people would not have been able to use it.

Councillor Clement said: "There will be elements that wouldn't be satisfied apart from the restoration of the bridge in its original place.

"What we have come up with will satisfy most people.

"Had we put the bridge back in its own place we have would have been going contrary to disabled access provision that we should comply with.

"Now all people will be able to use the bridge and enjoy the architecture within it.

"This is something to be used by everyone."

The bridge, which is nearly 100 years old, was removed from its abutments and placed on the rec ground next to St Helen's last March.

A consultation exercise was launched in October to gauge public opinion on three options.

The council said that restoring the bridge to its former glory would cost £690,000 with a maintenance cost of £250,000 over 10 to 15 years.

Another option was a replica replacement billed at £350,000 with a £75,000 maintenance package needed over the same period.The third option was to not put it back. No clear favourite could be decided so the council put forward a plan to install it next to the cycle path.

It is expected to cost £100,000, well within the £300,000 budget set aside for it.Council leader Chris Holley, speaking at yesterday's cabinet meeting, said had the council opted to restore the bridge to its original glory it would have meant cutting services elsewhere.

He said: "It is very easy for people to knock but when you have to make decision on budgets the total cost of restoration would have meant taking money out of things like social services or education budget."

The cabinet agreed to push forward the plans and apply for planning permission to put the bridge in its new home.

Councillor John Newbury, the cabinet member for finance, said: "I am pleased to see that Councillor Hague has come up with a solution which I think will satisfy a majority of people in Swansea.

"I haven't seen the layout on computer yet which will give a better idea of how it will look but it really is a welcome move and one which I think the people of Swansea will enjoy once it is in place."

COMPLETELY POINTLESS

2005-02-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

18 February 2005

I Will be surprised if I am the only person in Swansea who thinks that the council's plan to place the Slip Bridge along the promenade is a little like giving someone a fork to eat a bowl of soup! Completely pointless. Surely the purpose of a bridge is to span a large gap.What a ludicrous waste of public money.Put the bridge in a place where it is needed or scrap it.

Lee HopkinsHeather CrescentSketty, Swansea

PULLING THE WOOL OVER OUR EYES

2005-02-17T18:00:00.001-08:00

17 February 2005

I Tend to agree with H Davies, of Mount Pleasant, in his view that Swansea Council is trying to pull the wool over our eyes about the Slip Bridge (Have Your Say, February 3).

There is far too much secrecy involved. What is behind all these other plans to sell off land and schools? All we seem to hear about are closures and buildings being pulled down or sold off.

Dynevor School was closed and now Bishop Gore could go the same way.

Will our children benefit or will the council just get richer?

What worries me is that the news comes out in dribs and drabs. It feels like our city is slowly being sold off to the pawnbrokers.

Colin Rees
Overland Road
Mumbles
Swansea

ANSWERS TO SLIP QUERIES

2005-02-17T18:00:00.000-08:00

17 February 2005

Mr Stroud (Have Your Say, February 11) asks several questions regarding the Slip Bridge. The answers are as follows. The amount made available for the restoration of the bridge was the amount estimated by the council's engineers and recommended to cabinet for its repair and placing back where it had come from.

It was not necessary to remove the whole span to remove all the concrete and replace it but it would have meant closing Mumbles Road for several weeks while it was done. I am sure Mr Stroud is in a small minority who wanted the work done in situ and the road closed for several weeks.

The angle of the flats was set in the planning application and if the intention was to improve the view the sensible thing to have done would have been to remove the bridge before the land was sold, not after the flats were built.

The fact is that the previous Labour administration wanted to replace a bridge that we considered a Swansea landmark and the new Liberal Democrat-led administration does not.

Councillor Mike J Hedges
County Hall
Swansea

CITY GEM IS IN DANGER

2005-02-14T18:00:00.000-08:00

14 February 2005

Here we go again. Will the truth about the Slip Bridge ever be known? A recent letter from Councillor Hedges tells us that there was money set aside for the repair of the bridge.

That's the first I've heard of this! This statement raised several questions:Was it enough?

Why has the previous administration not put pressure on the present rules to get on with the repair work?

What will happen to the money if the bridge is not put back in its rightful place?

And, what about answering the question, which has been raised time and time again, concerning the infamous survey.

Why, if the majority of the respondents were in favour of replacing the bridge, has work not yet begun?

One of your correspondents mentioned the Patti Pavilion.

I was there in November for the Green Fair and it was plain to see the building is not being cared for.

Will the citizens of Swansea lose yet another cultural gem due to the irresponsibility of the council?

M McGrane
Highpool Close
Newton
Swansea

SO MANY QUESTIONS

2005-02-11T18:00:00.001-08:00

11 February 2005

We are assured by Councillor Mike Hedges (Have Your Say, February 3) that the previous Swansea council administration intended to replace the Slip Bridge and the money estimated for its repair was made available. Councillor Hedges does not say how much.

Shame on all those cynics (myself included) who thought that there was a hidden agenda to remove the slip Bridge.

It must have been pure coincidence that the new flats were built at such an angle that their view would be greatly enhanced by the removal of the bridge.

Of course, such cynicism is understandable. It was the same administration which assured us that the leisure centre was only going to be closed for a fortnight and there was certainly a hidden agenda there.

Curiously, Councillor Hedges tells us that there was a safety issue as pieces of concrete were falling off the buttresses.Why was is necessary to remove the steel span?

With the new Freedom of Information Act all the documents relating to this saga should be open for public scrutiny.

There are many questions to be answered.

M R Stroud
Gabalfa Road
Sketty
Swansea

BRIDGE TOO FAR FROM HOME

2005-02-11T18:00:00.000-08:00

Evening Post Editorial - 11 February 2005

Swansea Council's decision not to send the Slip Bridge to the scrap merchant in the sky is a compromise. The bridge will not be returning to its former home at the Slip in Oystermouth Road.Instead it will be placed further along the promenade in Mumbles Road, possibly near the car park at the bottom of Sketty Lane.

It is a nice idea because it means it will be walked by hundreds of people using the foreshore path every day.

But there are those who will not be happy because for them the bridge was all about happy, youthful days when they used it to cross over railways to the beach.

At least they will have the recompense of seeing the bridge put to better use. But the move will reinforce many people's belief that there was only one reason it was taken down in the first place.

That was because it spoiled the view of people living in the new flats built on the site of the old St Helen's swimming pool.

MIXED VIEWS ON SLIP BRIDGE PLANS

2005-02-10T18:00:00.000-08:00

10 February 2005

New plans for Swansea's Slip Bridge will cost around £300,000, according to council bosses.

They say the decision not to return the bridge to its home spanning Oystermouth Road will not cost any extra money. Cash put aside by the former Labour administration will cover the cost of finding it a new home on the promenade.

The figure is more than a third more than the one originally quoted by council chiefs. But the decision has not met with support across the board.

Bernard Morris, of Derwen Fawr, has been campaigning for the return of the popular bridge.

He is disappointed that it will not be returning to its prominent position above one of Swansea's busiest road.

Mr Morris said: "I think the significance of the Slip Bridge was that it was there spanning the road as a familiar landmark distinctive to Swansea. To put it over what is probably going to be a smaller gap seems rather pointless."

The new plans for the bridge were unveiled at a presentation yesterday.

It came after a three-month consultation costing £35,000.

A questionnaire asking for people's views on three options was sent out to Swansea homes.

It quoted a bill of £690,000 to restore it with a further £250,000 in maintenance needed over 10 to 15 years. A replica bridge would have cost £350,000 to build and £75,000 in maintenance for a similar period. But no unanimous support for a single solution could be found.

So the council has decided to opt for a compromise.

Council leader Chris Holley said the council was now looking at a number of possible sites as a new home for the bridge on the promenade and it hoped to be submitting plans soon.

He said: "It is going to come within the £300,000 budget that was put aside by Labour."

But despite the bid to keep everyone happy, supporters of the bridge will not be too pleased that it is not going to be retaking its prominent position alongside the Swansea Bay.T

hey see the decision to place it along the promenade as a consolation prize. Mr Morris said: "If they do this it will retain the bridge as a feature, which people will relate to, but it is still not satisfactory."It's the third or fourth best result."

REPLICA IS BEST OPTION

2005-02-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

9 February 2005

Following the consultation on the future of the Slip Bridge, has Swansea Council considered one of the cheaper options, of replacing it with a replica on the same site? I believe it would be a civic tragedy if the bridge and all traces of it, the supports and steps, were to disappear from the Swansea Bay landscape forever.

I personally favoured the restoration of the original bridge, but if this has not got majority support and is deemed too expensive, I would urge the council seriously to consider the compromise, replica option.

Richard Teulon
Spring Terrace
Swansea

YET ANOTHER LANDMARK DISAPPEARING

2005-02-07T18:00:00.000-08:00

07 February 2005

Here we go again. More council spin designed to soften us up in advance of yet another Swansea landmark disappearing. Instead of having the guts to come out with a straightforward statement about the future of the Slip Bridge, we have the usual rule nothing in, rule nothing out verbiage from Swansea Council leader Chris Holley.

It is obvious that he and his colleagues never had any intention of putting back this historic structure. They have just wasted time and public money on a pointless consultation exercise and should be surcharged by the district auditor.

It is scandalous that we have a council administration that is so determined to dismantle the plans of their Labour predecessors that they are also blindly destroying our heritage.

Julian Morris
Victoria Quay
Maritime Quarter
Swansea

WE'LL FIGHT TO SAVE BRIDGE

2005-02-03T18:00:00.000-08:00

03 February 2005

According to the Evening Post we may be losing the Slip Bridge. The main cause for complaint seems to be expense. Does the council really believe it can hoodwink the people of Swansea in this way?

The longer the bridge is sitting in exile, the more work will need to be done to it. The bridge was removed for no real reason, supposedly needing examination.

It looked all right to most people when it landed on the Recreation Ground.

So are we in danger of losing another of our landmarks. I hope not.

What will we have left for this council to remove at will? There's the Guildhall for a start, that's a beautiful building - it can be replaced with one of those 20-storey glass boxes.

Then there is the beautiful Cenotaph. We mustn't forget the Patti Pavilion either, perhaps that will be next.

Swansea is becoming a tawdry conglomeration of drinking clubs and very little is done for the beauty of the city, we only have to look at Castle Square as proof of that.

We will fight to save the Slip Bridge.

Save our city and make it a lovely place for us to live and people to visit. Put back the Slip Bridge.

H Davies
Penygraig Road
Mount Pleasant
Swansea

CIVIC SOCIETY'S LAST-DITCH PLEA TO SAVE BRIDGE

2005-02-02T18:00:00.000-08:00

Shaun Greaney - 02 February 2005

Swansea Council has been urged to pursue every avenue to save the city's treasured Slip Bridge from the scrapheap. Following reports that the bridge's fate is almost certainly sealed, the city's Civic Society has now stepped in with a last-ditch plea.

The council is understood to be put off by the cost of restoring the bridge.

But now the Civic Society says there are options which could offer a solution to cabinet member for the environment Councillor John Hague, under whose wing the bridge falls.

Society secretary Eirwen Harry said the possibilities were "many and varied", including Cadw, which although it did not list the bridge in 2004, could still offer grants for buildings of historic interest.

She added: "The Architectural Heritage Fund can assist with grants and lists funding available from various charities on its website."

A list of about a dozen organisations has been sent to Mr Hague in the hope that he may be able to seek out possibly substantial help in undertaking the bridge repairs.

An expert's report into the future of the bridge is being finalised. The council has been warned to expect a backlash if the option of restoring the bridge is abandoned.

The authority last year spent £35,000 on distributing a questionnaire in Swansea asking what the public wanted to happen to the bridge.

It asked if people were in favour of complete removal of the bridge at a cost of £30,000; a £690,000 refurbishment scheme with £250,000 maintenance over 10 to 15 years or a £350,000 replacement.

Some 8,500 people replied.

It is thought there is a fairly even split in terms of the responses received for and against saving the bridge.