REMOVAL of the controversial in-filling of a bridge on a disused line at Great Musgrave bridge near Kirkby Stephen has cost the taxpayer £352,000.
Work to fill the cutting under the bridge with 1600 tonnes of aggregate and concrete occurred in June 2021, cost £124,000 and was undertaken by National Highways using emergency permitted development rights due to concerns over the bridge’s weight limit and risk of collapse.
The in-filling would also prevent the possibility of a future connection with heritage railway operations by the Stainmore Railway Company at Kirkby Stephen East and the Eden Valley Railway at Warcop.
It was only after a vigorous public campaign by the Historical Railways Estate (HRE) group that Eden District Council refused retrospective planning permission and
