Project summary
- The Ironbridge stretches across the River Severn and was the world’s first iron bridge.
- The bridge is Grade 1 listed, a Scheduled Ancient Monument, within a World Heritage site and Conservation Area. Given the age of the bridge it was starting to crack and in need of repair.
- English Heritage have embarked upon their largest conservation project to date known as ‘Project Ironbridge – Securing an Industrial Icon’.
Solution
- Severn Trent have two cast iron water mains within the structure of the bridge which transport water to the towns of Broseley and Much Wenlock.
- It was decided that the pipes should be replaced at the same time as the conservation project.
- Fisher German secured ‘scheduled monument consent’ for the removal and replacement of the water pipes from the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in 2018.
Benefits
- By timing the replacement to coincide with the major conservation project it avoids disruption in years to come when the restoration project is complete.
- The consent allowed for a staged replacement process so that one pipe was always in use supplying the water.
- Fisher German liaised with all parties at the pre-application stage and secured consent within two weeks of submission.
