WARRINGTON Borough Council’s leader has described negotiations with Peel Ports over proposed renovations to the town’s swing bridges as ‘extremely difficult’.

Peel Ports continues to face calls to refurbish and repaint the three structures.

Concerns continue to be raised over the state of the three sites crossing the Manchester Ship Canal.

Peel Ports owns the bridges – which are situated on Chester Road, London Road and Knutsford Road.

In March 2022, it was announced that Stockton Heath swing bridge, on London Road, was set for a major investment which could see it closed for around nine months.

Plans included work to carry out a complete structural, mechanical, electrical refurbishment and repainting programme to improve the longevity of the key asset.

However, in January 2023, it was revealed that the plans had been delayed following a cash row.

This came shortly after it was reported that the plans looked to be under threat unless Peel agreed to either keep the road running during the work or pay for mitigation costs, which would run into hundreds of thousands of pounds.

The Manchester Ship Canal Company (MSCC), which is owned by Peel Ports, said the work had been put on hold due to a refusal of its Temporary Traffic Regulation Order by the council.

In March 2022, the MSCC applied for a nine-month road closure to ensure contractors could carry out the work.

However, the council refused to permit the closure which was scheduled to begin in April 2023.

Without the order, the work cannot be carried out.

The mitigation costs would be used to fund everything from extra bus services needed to get pedestrians across the canal to any compensation bids from businesses affected.

In September 2023, the council said that it is continuing to hold discussions with Peel to seek a resolution and that it is ‘not fair’ that the local taxpayer should be expected to ‘foot the bill’ for the mitigation measures.

As reported in August this year, the MSCC accused the council of ‘severely hampering’ efforts to deliver an £8 million renovation of Stockton Heath swing bridge.

The issue arose during the full council meeting in Warrington last Monday. Liberal Democrat Cllr Ian Marks – a former council leader – put forward a question to council leader Cllr Hans Mundry, Labour, about the swing bridges.

Cllr Marks asked: “We fully realise that negotiations with Peel over the maintenance of the swing bridges have proved extremely difficult and we support the council’s attempts to engage with Peel.

“However, the long delayed planned improvements still need carrying out in the interests of visual amenity, safety and traffic flow.

“Please can we have an update on the current state of discussions so we can give reassurance to residents that a mutually acceptable solution will be found?”

In response, Cllr Mundry described negotiations on the issue with Peel Ports as ‘extremely difficult’ and stated the negotiations ‘broke down’ in February 2023.

He highlighted that Peel Ports ‘refused to accept’ that it would need to fund ‘mitigation measures’ related to the swing bridge closure.

Cllr Mundry said the ongoing cost of this ‘should not fall on’ the taxpayers of Warrington and ‘should fall solely on’ Peel Ports.

He said that the council’s ‘door is always open for Peel Ports to talk to us’.

Cllr Mundry added: “We will continue to speak to them, we will hold our hands out to talk to them, and say we will offer any assistance we can, but we will not be passing any taxpayer money to subsidise a big, private company.”

The MSCC has pointed to its previous statement, which was provided in August.

A spokesperson for the MSCC said: “We share the frustration of residents and road users, and we remain committed to the renovation of Warrington’s swing bridges.

“This significant project requires a collective effort and cooperation on all sides, and MSCC has been prepared to fund the £8 million project. However, these efforts have been severely hampered by Warrington Borough Council’s rejection of our Temporary Traffic Regulation Order – which is essential to ensure contractors can safely carry out the necessary works – and its failure to fund elements of the mitigation costs, for which responsibility firmly lies with the council.

“To allow us to move forward, we urge the council to reengage to find a solution that will work for all involved.

“The bridges remain safe and fully operational for users, and routine maintenance will continue as normal.”