Save Our Bridge!
Save Our Bridge!
The Issue
Disrepair of Boxted Bridge needs to be resolved. The study of options has been going on since 2018 and has £756,000, much more than initial estimates of the cost of repair: but it has not met the statutory duty ‘to further the purposes’ of the Dedham Vale National Landscape. That would require evidence-based investigation of a ‘sensitive repair’ option. The SOB Crowdfunder campaign is now prepared to fund the cost of testing, if there is no other way to establish its feasibility. Link to CROWDFUNDER 'Let's Get Boxted Bridge Tested for Vehicles.' PLEASE HELP US TO REACH OUR TARGET £12,300
Boxted Bridge, built in 1897 by George Double (1840-1916), piers and bridges contractor, lies in the centre of the Dedham Vale National Landscape The surrounding fields are water meadows, where cattle and sheep graze and cricket bat plantations thrive. The bridge is an important heritage feature of the village and well loved; it is known locally as 'The Green Bridge'. In the 1930s the views from Boxted bridge inspired many paintings by both Sir Alfred Munnings and John Nash.
By 1992 Boxted bridge was showing signs of neglect. The bridge was assessed by Essex County Council that year and the report found the deck to have a live load capacity of 3 Tonnes: but no weight restriction was thought necessary; and indeed for the next 28 years traffic continued to drive over it, including latterly some massive HGVs with trailers. An Options Study was done in 2018 but recommendations to carry out further feasibility studies on three of the options using the current footprint of the bridge were not acted upon. However in March 2020 Highways' decided to proceed with Option 7B, an unrecommended option, at an unminuted meeting. Essex Highways has completed their investigation work on the bridge and is now planning to replace the bridge altogether and build a 40 tonne bridge on a wider footprint capable of HGVs making the turn over the bridge onto Sky Hall Hill more easily, an option that their own Options Study said in a list of disadvantages would: 'urbanize a section of the AONB', that 'carriageway widening/improvements on Wick Road' might have to be carried out, that did not take into account of our 'sub standard structures', (smaller bridges over streams near the bridge). This option costs the most, £900,000-1000,000, and would have the most carbon footprint. Other options, repair: £400,000-£450,000, replace the deck: £400,000-£450.000, full bridge reconstruction on current footprint: £700,00-£800,000. All estimates are 2018 so prices now out of date . Highways' intend to submit a planning application for this proposal on 26 November 2021.
We believe the bridge can be repaired and saved for the community and should not be replaced with a wider uglier version which would mean that more HGVs use this route through the Dedham Vale National Landscape. At present vehicles the same size as a fire engine, and larger, can already, with care, negotiate the turn over the bridge into Sky Hall Hill. The three approach roads to the bridge are not suitable for HGVs being single lane with passing places. The two new 'Not Suitable for HGV' signs at Whalebone corner and Wick road/ B1068 have been remarkably successful in discouraging further HGVs. We believe an 'Environmental Limits' sign would deter large HGVs but still allow the essential farm traffic vehicles access over the bridge. The proposed scheme for a new larger bridge is overkill.
The Current Status of the Planning Application: Essex County Council's Development and Regulation Committee met on 25.04.2025 to determine Highway's planning application for Boxted Bridge. The planning offiicer's recommendation was to approve. In a highly
unusual motion, however, the members of the committee voted 9-2 in favour of deferring a decision, none were in favour. They asked for further information on repair/like for like and a site visit by the committee. Since then none of the requested information has been provided by highways so, at the D and R meeting in October 2025, the committee agreed a deadline of the end of January 2026 otherwise the application would be decided as is at the next committee meeting in February.
Highways unaccountably cancelled the Mann Williams test recommended by Ed Morton, conservation engineer, in May 2025. This would have provided information on the entire bridge deck to inform its capacity for repair. Instead Essex Highways commissioned an alternative load test by Accolade on 10.09.2025 with the sole purpose of confirming if the centre strip of the bridge is safe to open the bridge up to pedestrians.
On 28.01.2026 after the Accolade load test results unsurprisingly, confirmed the centre of the bridge is safe for pedestrians and cyclists, Highways opened the bridge up for pedestrians and cyclists only. The barricades have been removed leaving a 2.5 m barricaded passageway across the centre of the bridge. They also propose to reopen the Navigation under the bridge for canoeists.
However highways clearly do not intend to take the next steps using the load test data and model to calculate if the rest bridge is safe for vehicles too, despite putting up to 16 tons of water on the bridge during the test. Instead they now propose a DRAFT Traffic Order for approval for permanent closure of the bridge to all vehicles. SOB opposes approval of this notice without time allowed for investigations into whole bridge deck load capacity and if positive, a feasiblity of repair report, and will continue to put pressure on ECC to carry out a professional assessment of the whole bridge deck.
Please send your comments asap on the permanent traffic notice!
Ref TRAF/8871
Email: trafficregulation.order@essexhighways.org
Consultation deadline 12.02.2026
Take a look at the new documents all submitted on 09.09.2024 here A decision will also be taken by Babergh DC (Suffolk) as it is a cross county bridge. No date has been set yet.
You can read more HERE about the achievements of George Double, builder of Boxted Bridge, who worked for the eminent engineer John Dixon (1835-1891), building Llandudno Pier (1877), raising Cleopatra's Needle on the Embankment (1878), building the Blyth Railway bridge (1879) manager during the construction of Hammersmith Suspension Bridge (1887), building the new pier head and landing stage on Clevedon Pier (1892). If any extended members of George Double's family have a photograph of him we would love to hear from you. All we have discovered so far of a personal nature is his signature. Please contact us via update comments.
Watch our campaign videos here:
Fire engines can cross the existing bridge without any difficulty!
Boxted Bridge under threat movie!
Media Coverage
Sir Bernard Jenkin asks council to reopen Boxted Bridge
Fundraiser for load test at Boxted bridge launched
Campaigners push for further investigation
Boxted bridge proposed to partially reopen
Campaigners blast demolition plans
Temporary work at Boxted bride for Sudbury to the Sea
Boxted bridge repair saga costing thousands
Boxted bridge tests to be carried out amid dispute
Calls for Answers as Boxted bridge consumes public funds
Last Minute Vote leaves bridge in limbo
Boxted bridge proposed to partially reopen
Load testing promised after 700 days
Campaigners unconvinced over Boxted bridge test
Boxted bridge closed after safety concerns raised
Boxted bridge destruction would be an assault on local pride
Dan Cruickshank fights to save historic bridge at Boxted
Questions raised about reports
6400 sign petition to save Boxted bridge
Cyclists at risk after Essex bridge closed by council
Sir Bernard Jenkin backs campaigners to save Boxted bridge
SOB criticises Essex Highways flood assessment
Cost of controversial bridge replacement plans already total more than £270,000
8,468
The Issue
Disrepair of Boxted Bridge needs to be resolved. The study of options has been going on since 2018 and has £756,000, much more than initial estimates of the cost of repair: but it has not met the statutory duty ‘to further the purposes’ of the Dedham Vale National Landscape. That would require evidence-based investigation of a ‘sensitive repair’ option. The SOB Crowdfunder campaign is now prepared to fund the cost of testing, if there is no other way to establish its feasibility. Link to CROWDFUNDER 'Let's Get Boxted Bridge Tested for Vehicles.' PLEASE HELP US TO REACH OUR TARGET £12,300
Boxted Bridge, built in 1897 by George Double (1840-1916), piers and bridges contractor, lies in the centre of the Dedham Vale National Landscape The surrounding fields are water meadows, where cattle and sheep graze and cricket bat plantations thrive. The bridge is an important heritage feature of the village and well loved; it is known locally as 'The Green Bridge'. In the 1930s the views from Boxted bridge inspired many paintings by both Sir Alfred Munnings and John Nash.
By 1992 Boxted bridge was showing signs of neglect. The bridge was assessed by Essex County Council that year and the report found the deck to have a live load capacity of 3 Tonnes: but no weight restriction was thought necessary; and indeed for the next 28 years traffic continued to drive over it, including latterly some massive HGVs with trailers. An Options Study was done in 2018 but recommendations to carry out further feasibility studies on three of the options using the current footprint of the bridge were not acted upon. However in March 2020 Highways' decided to proceed with Option 7B, an unrecommended option, at an unminuted meeting. Essex Highways has completed their investigation work on the bridge and is now planning to replace the bridge altogether and build a 40 tonne bridge on a wider footprint capable of HGVs making the turn over the bridge onto Sky Hall Hill more easily, an option that their own Options Study said in a list of disadvantages would: 'urbanize a section of the AONB', that 'carriageway widening/improvements on Wick Road' might have to be carried out, that did not take into account of our 'sub standard structures', (smaller bridges over streams near the bridge). This option costs the most, £900,000-1000,000, and would have the most carbon footprint. Other options, repair: £400,000-£450,000, replace the deck: £400,000-£450.000, full bridge reconstruction on current footprint: £700,00-£800,000. All estimates are 2018 so prices now out of date . Highways' intend to submit a planning application for this proposal on 26 November 2021.
We believe the bridge can be repaired and saved for the community and should not be replaced with a wider uglier version which would mean that more HGVs use this route through the Dedham Vale National Landscape. At present vehicles the same size as a fire engine, and larger, can already, with care, negotiate the turn over the bridge into Sky Hall Hill. The three approach roads to the bridge are not suitable for HGVs being single lane with passing places. The two new 'Not Suitable for HGV' signs at Whalebone corner and Wick road/ B1068 have been remarkably successful in discouraging further HGVs. We believe an 'Environmental Limits' sign would deter large HGVs but still allow the essential farm traffic vehicles access over the bridge. The proposed scheme for a new larger bridge is overkill.
The Current Status of the Planning Application: Essex County Council's Development and Regulation Committee met on 25.04.2025 to determine Highway's planning application for Boxted Bridge. The planning offiicer's recommendation was to approve. In a highly
unusual motion, however, the members of the committee voted 9-2 in favour of deferring a decision, none were in favour. They asked for further information on repair/like for like and a site visit by the committee. Since then none of the requested information has been provided by highways so, at the D and R meeting in October 2025, the committee agreed a deadline of the end of January 2026 otherwise the application would be decided as is at the next committee meeting in February.
Highways unaccountably cancelled the Mann Williams test recommended by Ed Morton, conservation engineer, in May 2025. This would have provided information on the entire bridge deck to inform its capacity for repair. Instead Essex Highways commissioned an alternative load test by Accolade on 10.09.2025 with the sole purpose of confirming if the centre strip of the bridge is safe to open the bridge up to pedestrians.
On 28.01.2026 after the Accolade load test results unsurprisingly, confirmed the centre of the bridge is safe for pedestrians and cyclists, Highways opened the bridge up for pedestrians and cyclists only. The barricades have been removed leaving a 2.5 m barricaded passageway across the centre of the bridge. They also propose to reopen the Navigation under the bridge for canoeists.
However highways clearly do not intend to take the next steps using the load test data and model to calculate if the rest bridge is safe for vehicles too, despite putting up to 16 tons of water on the bridge during the test. Instead they now propose a DRAFT Traffic Order for approval for permanent closure of the bridge to all vehicles. SOB opposes approval of this notice without time allowed for investigations into whole bridge deck load capacity and if positive, a feasiblity of repair report, and will continue to put pressure on ECC to carry out a professional assessment of the whole bridge deck.
Please send your comments asap on the permanent traffic notice!
Ref TRAF/8871
Email: trafficregulation.order@essexhighways.org
Consultation deadline 12.02.2026
Take a look at the new documents all submitted on 09.09.2024 here A decision will also be taken by Babergh DC (Suffolk) as it is a cross county bridge. No date has been set yet.
You can read more HERE about the achievements of George Double, builder of Boxted Bridge, who worked for the eminent engineer John Dixon (1835-1891), building Llandudno Pier (1877), raising Cleopatra's Needle on the Embankment (1878), building the Blyth Railway bridge (1879) manager during the construction of Hammersmith Suspension Bridge (1887), building the new pier head and landing stage on Clevedon Pier (1892). If any extended members of George Double's family have a photograph of him we would love to hear from you. All we have discovered so far of a personal nature is his signature. Please contact us via update comments.
Watch our campaign videos here:
Fire engines can cross the existing bridge without any difficulty!
Boxted Bridge under threat movie!
Media Coverage
Sir Bernard Jenkin asks council to reopen Boxted Bridge
Fundraiser for load test at Boxted bridge launched
Campaigners push for further investigation
Boxted bridge proposed to partially reopen
Campaigners blast demolition plans
Temporary work at Boxted bride for Sudbury to the Sea
Boxted bridge repair saga costing thousands
Boxted bridge tests to be carried out amid dispute
Calls for Answers as Boxted bridge consumes public funds
Last Minute Vote leaves bridge in limbo
Boxted bridge proposed to partially reopen
Load testing promised after 700 days
Campaigners unconvinced over Boxted bridge test
Boxted bridge closed after safety concerns raised
Boxted bridge destruction would be an assault on local pride
Dan Cruickshank fights to save historic bridge at Boxted
Questions raised about reports
6400 sign petition to save Boxted bridge
Cyclists at risk after Essex bridge closed by council
Sir Bernard Jenkin backs campaigners to save Boxted bridge
SOB criticises Essex Highways flood assessment
Cost of controversial bridge replacement plans already total more than £270,000
8,468
The Decision Makers
Supporter Voices
Petition created on 6 November 2020