Plans to totally renovate the redundant tramway pier in Ryde have been unveiled as part of the £96.5 million Ryde Gateway Project.
The scheme, between authorities in Hampshire, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight, as well local transport operators, announced in September 2020, was successful in securing funding to upgrade Ryde transport interchange, and other areas.
Projects in Ryde received £10 million of the £96.5 million funding, £56 million of which came from the government and its Transforming Cities Fund.
The remaining cash came from local authorities and their partners.
The funding must be used and all projects completed by March 2023.
Plans submitted
Now, Wightlink has submitted plans to the Isle of Wight Council to develop the tramway pier into a dedicated cycle and pedestrian walkway.
The new walkway and cycle track will link Ryde Esplanade, the pierhead and, via fastcat, Portsmouth Harbour Station, as well as securing the long-term survival of the structure.
The alternative to the main pier is aiming to offer a safe pathway, not shared with vehicles.
Grade II listed
The Ryde Tramway Pier is Grade II listed and was added to the existing pier structure in 1864 to provide a horse-drawn tramway.
It was taken out of use in 1969 and was blocked for access at both ends.
Steelwork and cross bracings be removed
Following an inspection of the tramway, chartered engineers recommended all of the existing superstructure steelwork and cross bracings be removed and replaced, having suffered from extensive and severe corrosion and being in ‘very poor condition’.
Some of the steel structure has very large holes in and there is a risk pieces of steel will become dislodged and fall into the sea.
They say there is no realistic possibility of retaining any sections within the refurbished structure apart from the cast-iron screw piles, which are the oldest part of the existing pier, that have sufficient structural capacity for the proposed new use.
Decking on the pier
The committee dealing with the overall Ryde Gateway Project has decided the decking of the pathway will be grey for pedestrians and green for cyclists, which will be echoed in the wider scheme.
Seating and shelters will also be provided at intervals along the pier but their appearance has not been decided yet due to a consistent theme needed to be found throughout the wider scheme.
Six metres wide
Planning documents say the width of the new decked area will be 6m with a length of 620m, but will be unable to widen near to the pierhead, following the track, due to funding restrictions.
The documents say there is no reason why it could not be done at a later date if funding becomes available.
Access to the pathway will be via the redeveloped Esplanade Station, carried out by Southwest Trains under the same government scheme.
Have your say
Comments on the application, 21/01150/LBC, can be submitted until 16th July via the Isle of Wight Council’s planning register. Documents relating to the plans can also be viewed there.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is part of. Read here to find about more about how that scheme works on the Island. Some alterations and additions may have been made by News OnTheWight. Ed
