A LISTED bridge that has fallen into poor repair could be fixed if new plans get given the go-ahead.

Bevere Bridge is currently unsafe for public access and has been fenced off from a nearby public right of way.

Detailed plans have been submitted to Wychavon District Council outlining what repairs could be made to the Grade II listed bridge.

These include rebuilding and repointing the brickwork, replacing steps leading up to the bridge and cleaning up the ironwork.

FENCED OFF: Access to Bevere Bridge is closed at the momentFENCED OFF: Access to Bevere Bridge is closed at the moment (Image: Phil Wilkinson-Jones/LDRS)

Planning documents reveal that cast-iron railings from the bridge are currently on the riverbed.

A conservation engineer has recommended extracting them from the river and says “fortunately, cast-iron is not susceptible to excessive corrosion”.

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“Repair and reinstatement is likely to be possible for most of the [railing] panels,” a planning statement says.

It adds that the railings could be “distorted in the river bed and likely distorted further in the removal process”.

In this case, the railing would be recovered, but a new one cast and installed.

HISTORY: Bevere Bridge in 1961HISTORY: Bevere Bridge in 1961 (Image: Rock Davidson Associates/WRO)

A heritage statement says the bridge and Bevere Island have been in the ownership of the Philips family since 1984 and was Grade II listed a year later.

It adds: “The deck is now in immediate need of repair with the recent loss of parapet and railing to the south of the bridge, the north section is in danger of the same fate.”

The bridge was built in 1844 and connects Bevere Island to the east riverbank of the Severn.

The Bevere fish pass and additional bridge installed in 2020 separated Bevere Bridge from the bank.

A public footpath, the Northwick Manor Heritage Trail, runs alongside the east side of the river and passes Bevere bridge and the fish pass.

The Bevere fish pass is maintained by the Canal and Rivers Trust and forms part of its Unlocking the Severn project.