A rickety beach bridge at a north-east beauty spot could soon be restored to its former glory if councillors give the go ahead to new plans.
An application to repair the Ladies Bridge crossing at Cruden Bay will be considered by the Buchan Area Committee today.
If approved, the new £220,000 structure could be in place as early as next year.
The 92-year-old Ladies Bridge provides a vital link between the seaside village and its award-winning beach and has been hailed by locals as crucial to the local tourist trade.
In recent years however the dilapidated crossing has been shut several times due to safety fears, noticeably hitting visitor numbers.
The Cruden Bay Community Association has campaigned for a replacement crossing and last night chairman Hugh McIntyre said: “The association has kind of taken responsibility for the bridge on behalf of the community for some time.
“The one issue that does concern the community is prolonged closure during the summer months.
“It’s the cheapest option, and a temporary bridge would have bumped the cost up so the community will put up with some disruption if they’re getting a new bridge, but it should be as early as possible.”
Restoration works on the 170ft span will involve crafting a new timber structure and reinforcing the existing concrete piers. The repairs could prolong the bridge’s life by 50 years.
A statutory public consultation period has now come to a close and Aberdeenshire Council’s planning boss Stephen Archer has recommended the committee give the go ahead for the works.
In a report he said: “The replacement bridge is to be timber like-for-like construction with minor design changes, retaining use of the existing concrete substructure, whilst the opportunity is being taken to widen the bridge to 1.5m to improve accessibility.
“Cruden Bay Community Association say they welcome the development, but are concerned that the current schedule for implementation would detract significantly from the local area during the period of construction.”
The new-look bridge is likely to cost £220,000. A more expensive package was considered by the council – at around £340,000 – but planners were told to look at ways of reducing the cost.
To save money, they decided against building a temporary structure while work was ongoing.