Northwich MPs share common ground on new Winnington Bridge

Tatton MP Esther McVey and her Weaver Vale counterpart Mike Amesbury urged ministers to back the scheme as part of its levelling up agenda, as she led a debate in Parliament on the issue.

Built in 1908, the bridge cannot deal with capacity and with more housing and businesses planned for the area, the pair said action was needed.

Ms McVey said: “If Government is truly determined to deliver the levelling up agenda to all parts of the country, then there can be no better place to invest and deliver than Winnington Bridge. The opening of this corridor would change the daily lives of those in Anderton, Barton and surrounding areas.

“The increase in cars on the road and commuters moving into new housing will worsen the already long queues and increase emissions. My constituents are worried and rightly so, about further developments and housing without this piece of infrastructure.”

A new Winnington bridge has been a priority for many years

The bridge has needed replacing for many years and been identified as the “single most important piece of transport infrastructure” for the area by Cheshire West and Chester Council, Ms McVey told the debate.

The proposed project would see the current single-track bridge changed to a cycle and pedestrian bridge and a new two way bridge built alongside it with three junction improvements between the bridge and Northwich town centre to create a corridor scheme.

It would fully address the congestion issues and create a cycle link from Barnton and Anderton through to Northwich town centre amenities and national cycle network route 5, thereby serving the residents of the villages of Barnton, Anderton with Marbury, Comberbach and Little Leigh, she said.

Tatton MP Esther McVey

Ms McVey said as well as tackling congestion, a new bridge would bring investment into the area with an extra £16 million a year for Northwich through money being spent in local shops, together with 300 new jobs long term, and an additional 2,000 during the construction phase.

In addition, building a new bridge would end the constant repairs and expenditure on the current bridge.

She said: “So bad is the annual wear and tear of the bridge that approximately £1-2 million is spent on it every five years to retain it in current use.”

Essential maintenance two years ago also cost an additional £980,000.

Mike Amesbury thanked Ms McVey for her “excellent” and “impassioned” speech to Parliament.

He added: “This issue is a great example of how Parliament works at its best; we are two neighbouring parliamentarians who do not share each other’s political points of view most of the time, but we both strongly back this excellent scheme.

“As she says, this bridge will unlock many opportunities.

“Not only will it improve connectivity - I know that, like me, she has been stuck in that traffic for many hours, as have our residents - but it is a pathway to building more than 1,900 houses, and it will draw in about £40 million of investment from Tata Chemicals Europe, safeguarding nearly 400 construction jobs for the future."

Weaver Vale MP Mike Amesbury

“This is probably one of the best levelling-up applications that Ministers, and the Department will receive, and it has cross-party support.

“It has to happen, and it genuinely will level up people and infrastructure.”

Bids for the latest round of the current funding were due to be submitted by July 6 but have been extended for a short period.