DfT confirm that Hammersmith Bridge is not eligible for many sources of infrastrucutre funding despite being a 2* Listed National Monument. July 2023

HBSOS wrote to Rt Hon Mark Harper MP, Secretary of State for Transport on 10th March 2023 and received a response from DfT London Projects team on 6th April. We then followed this up with the London Projects team and they confirm that Hammermsith Bridge 'falls between the stools' in terms of pots of funding. It is not eligible for Large Local Majors Funding as its owned by LBHF, nor Major Road Network Funding as its not owned by TfL, nor eligible for National funding such as Great Yarmouth bridge (DfT 81% funded the £121m Great Yarmouth 3rd river crossing -nearest bridge 1.25 miles vs 5 miles of the Thames without a vehicle bridge). DfT only providing 33% for HB.  

5th July 2023 from DfT London Policy and Projects Team

Re. Hammersmith Bridge

Thank you for your letter of 30 June, regarding the future funding of

Hammersmith Bridge. The Government is fully aware of the high level of

public interest in this project, and is committed to seeing the bridge restored

and reopened to vehicle traffic. Hammersmith Bridge is, however, owned by

the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham (LBHF), and therefore the

responsibility for maintaining the bridge, and funding the required repairs, lies

with the borough.

Infrastructure projects outside of London, such as the Great Yarmouth Third

river crossing, are subject to wholly different funding arrangements to those in

the capital, and as such can access different sources of Government funding.

The Hammersmith Bridge restoration project is not eligible for Large Local

Majors funding, due to its status as a London borough owned asset, and

London’s funding arrangements. Additionally, this project is not eligible for

Major Road Network funding as the road running across Hammersmith

Bridge is not a Transport for London (TfL) Major Road.

This is also not an appropriate project for the Levelling-Up Fund, which is

designed to provide funding to “ex-industrial areas, deprived towns and

coastal communities”. This does not apply to Hammersmith and Fulham and

therefore this area is classified as the lowest priority level (3).

However, the Government felt it appropriate to step in to share some of these

costs of the Hammersmith Bridge repairs owing to the COVID-19 pandemic

and its effect on TfL and Local Authority finances. Following this decision, the

Government has provided LBHF with almost £10m of funding to-date. This

includes £4m invested in emergency exploratory works following the full closure of the bridge, £2.93m of funding for the initial stabilisation works in May 2022, and a further £2.5m for geo-technical works earlier this year.

As you know, the next step to the permanent safe reopening of the bridge to

all users lies with LBHF, which must submit a satisfactory business case for

strengthening works to the Department for Transport. The submission of such

a case is a condition for the release of any further Government contribution to

the cost of repairing the bridge. The Government is continuing to work

constructively with LBHF, as the asset owner and lead for this project, and

with TfL to make progress on the business case.

Regarding the Hammersmith Bridge taskforce, the current focus of the

Department for Transport, LBHF and TfL is now on delivering the final stage

of the ongoing stabilisation works and ensuring an effective business case is

developed for the necessary strengthening works. As such, the Minister has

agreed not to call a further meeting of the Taskforce until there is either an

issue that requires unblocking between members, or a significant milestone

that needs discussion or celebration.

Yours sincerely,

London Policy and Projects Team

Department for Transport

30th June. For attention of  London Policy and Projects Team and Deputy Director London Funding and Finance

Thank you for your response [of 6th April 2023].

We do find the DfT position quite extraordinary given that Hammersmith bridge is a Grade 2* listed National Monument. The DfT funded 82% of the Great Yarmouth Third river crossing (£98m of £120 cost) and yet DfT is proposing to fund only 33% of Hammersmith Bridge – forcing LBHF down the more costly route of pursuing a toll and a Design, Build, Finance and Maintain structure for repair costs and future management. The extra risk and complexity of trying to forecast toll revenues for 30 years and the increase in steel and inflation has now pushed Hammersmith’s preferred option to £230m – of which LBHF is expected to pay £77m! No other council has been asked to pay even a tenth of that for national infrastructure. It would be far better if DfT offered 80% which could perhaps simplify the Business Case to a loan funded structure for repair only, and if DfT acted on Caroline Pidgeon’s excellent Bridging the Thames report to restructure the funding for repair and maintenance for London Bridges. The resumption of the Task Force with increased offers of DfT funding may enable a Business Case acceptable to all parties to be reached. It’s been over 4 years so far without any such agreement.

We do intend to forward the DfT response to politicians and councillors and keep lobbying for concrete progress in repair of the bridge and the resumption of public transport and emergency vehicles.

In the meantime, traffic is gridlocked and will be made worse by the imminent closure of Wandsworth Bridge for repairs. Bus transport from the local area to Hammersmith’s 4 tube lines has gone from 15 minutes to an hour and will become even worse once the construction of the Mortlake Brewery development (1400 units once approved) which will hinder bus and traffic flows to Chiswick bridge for years.

Kind Regards,

[HBSOS]

FAO Rt Hon Mark Harper MP, Secretary of State for Transport.                     10th March 2023

Dear Secretary of State,

May I first congratulate you on your appointment as Secretary of State for Transport and introduce myself as the Chair of the Steering Group of Hammersmith Bridge SOS which has sought to raise political awareness and help find solutions for the sad state of Hammersmith Bridge.

I would like to draw your urgent attention to the extraordinarily disappointing failure to repair  Hammersmith Bridge which Caroline Pidgeon MBE describes in ‘Bridging the Thames’ as ‘damaging our reputation Internationally’. This Bridge, a vital trunk route connection not just for the areas immediately adjacent but also to transport from across Greater London, has been closed for four years. During that time it has been totally closed even to pedestrians for 11 months and no bus, ambulance, fire engine or any other vehicle has crossed the Bridge in those four years - despite the impact this has had on individuals, on businesses, and on adjoining roads and bridges. In our great global city of London, this is an extraordinary failure of public policy.

Your predecessor, Grant Shapps, did not appear able to progress matters: he set up a Task Force under Baroness Vere which had little impact and which has not met for almost 18 months – failing even to agree a Memorandum of Understanding between Government, TfL and London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham.

LBHF is finally undertaking work to make the Bridge safe for pedestrians. However, despite promises around its full repair, there is still no agreement or commitment to a Plan, Budget and Timescale. Do you not find this extraordinary for a main trunk route in London?

Of particular concern is that the Government’s commitment to pay TfL’s 1/3 will expire within months (latest March 2024), yet LBHF do not plan to award the contract until April 2025, and that is only if a toll is also approved by Parliament (yet Silvertown tunnel toll took 7 years to approve). Conversely, in less than 4 years, a whole new Riverside Stand for Fulham FC has been built, and the similar British-designed Budapest Chain bridge has been repaired and re-opened for public transport…

I am only too aware that there will be many demands on your time and very large demands on your Department’s budget, but I very much hope that you will look at the failure to restore road connections in this part of London and establish a strategy for the Bridge’s full restoration as has been promised.

Yours Sincerely,

[HBSOS]