Welsh bridge demolition halted by presence of bats.
A colony of bats has halted the demolition of a Denbighshire bridge. Tthe Afon Clwyd Bridge at Pontruffudd near Ruthin had been earmarked for demolition, but the plans were stopped after the Clwyd Bat Group reported a colony there.
The bridge’s owners, BRB (Residuary) Ltd will now need planning permission before they can knock it down. The government-owned company confirmed it would apply to demolish the bridge.
Approval for demolition of the site had previously been given, and work to prepare the site had already started. However, it was stopped when a member of the Clwyd Bat Group reported the presence of bats to Denbighshire council.
A spokesperson for the firm said it was originally given permission to demolish the Afon Clwyd Bridge by Denbighshire council, as a permitted development. “However, subsequent changes to planning law now require us to seek full planning permission for the demolition. Pending that permission, demolition has been halted and the contractor is currently leaving the site.”
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