News release

Pupils from St Paul’s Church of England Primary School performed the ribbon-cutting at a mid-day ceremony to mark the completion and naming of a spectacular new landmark bridge over the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal today.

This stunning £10m civil engineering project has been managed by English Partnerships, the national regeneration agency, in partnership with Gloucester Quays LLP, and with the support of the South West of England Regional Development Agency. The bridge, together with Gloucester Quays, forms one of the Magnificent Seven group of projects spearheading the city’s regeneration by Gloucester Heritage Urban Regeneration Company (Gloucester Heritage URC).

The school children were amongst the first to walk across the bridge, and were accompanied by a range of civic dignitaries, invited guests, representatives of the Gloucester Heritage URC and the local community.

At the ceremony, the bridge was named the High Orchard Bridge following a local naming competition won by Mr Norman Downer from Dursley near Gloucester.

High Orchard is a reference to the orchard that once belonged to the Llanthony Priory that occupied the site where the bridge now sits. The priory is an important heritage site and has been incorporated into the grounds of the nearby Gloucestershire College.

The new crossing opens up parts of the city that had been previously difficult to reach, and leads directly to the recently constructed Gloucestershire College campus and several other regeneration projects on the western side of the canal, including a four-star hotel and Sainsbury’s.

David Warburton, Area Director for English Partnerships and Board member of Gloucester Heritage URC, said at the bridge celebration: “The completion of the High Orchard Bridge is a major step forward in the continued regeneration of Gloucester, bringing wide-ranging economic benefits to the city and to the people who live and work here.

“The bridge will vastly improve Gloucester’s transport infrastructure and will provide new pedestrian and cycle routes as well as completing the city’s Inner Ring Road. It will breathe new life into the centre of Gloucester.

Mr. Warburton acknowledged the role of those in the construction of the bridge: “I want to pay tribute to all those who were involved in the building of this bridge. From the original sketch by the architect Ronald Weeks; WYG Engineering who developed the design; the project managers Capita Symonds and the main contractors Alun Griffiths. A bridge of this nature requires many to be involved and to chart the course when issues or complications arise.”

“Shouldering responsibility for this for English Partnerships has been our project manager, Greg Morgan, who has lived and breathed this bridge since its inception in 2004. Greg has shared this responsibility with his counterparts, Mark Maddock and Mark Edwards, working on the Gloucester Quays project at British Waterways.

Recognition must also be given to all those involved in the physical construction of the bridge and who worked on site under the guidance of Laurie Graham from Alun Griffiths Constructions.

“I also want to recognise the substantial contribution from our partners Gloucester Quays. All have had a role to play in seeing this bridge come to fruition and the people of Gloucester should be very proud of their efforts.

“So on behalf of all of us: thank you!”

Chris Oldershaw, Chief Executive, Gloucester Heritage URC, said: “The 400-tonne ‘lifting-arm’ of the bridge sits six metres over the canal, creating another spectacular landmark structure for Gloucester’s changing skyline.

“The completion of this project symbolises the progress that is being made in the £1 billion regeneration of Gloucester and the revitalisation of the city centre and the historic waterfront areas.”

Stuart Mills, British Waterways Property Director, said: “We are very proud to be part of this partnership with Peel Holdings and English Partnerships which has delivered this iconic new bridge. Today is another major milestone in bringing about what is one of the biggest regeneration projects in the country.”

“British Waterways is involved in £7bn of waterside regeneration projects that are making a tremendous difference to towns and cities across the UK but none more so than here in Gloucester. This bridge symbolises a new beginning for Gloucester that embraces its industrial past and heralds the start of a new era in which it will be seen as one of the most popular leisure destinations in the region.”

Lindsey Ashworth, Development Director at Peel Holdings Ltd, said “This bridge embodies everything that we are seeking to create here in Gloucester. In six months time our magnificent designer outlet centre, along with the waterside bars and restaurants, that form the first phase of Gloucester Quays, will be open and this bridge will mark a fantastic new gateway to this great city as well as to our development.”

“Today sees the delivery of the essential infrastructure that will open up this quarter of Gloucester, ease traffic flow and congestion, and prepare the way for what is to come in 2009. Gloucester Quays has set out a great vision for the future of this city and we are pleased to be making a substantial contribution to funding of the bridge. I hope that this bridge opening enables local people to see this vision coming to fruition.”

Ian Knight, South West RDA area director for the West of England and Gloucestershire, said: “High Orchard Bridge provides a vital new link between our regeneration project at Gloucester Docks and the work being done by Peel Holdings at Gloucester Quays, and that is why we have invested more than £1m to help make it happen.

“The bridge completes the Inner Ring Road, in which we also made a substantial investment. The improved transport links will unlock Gloucester’s business potential and ensure that the city is able to reap the full benefits of the regeneration work done by ourselves, GHURC and Peel Holdings in recent years.”

English Partnerships has been instrumental in the regeneration of Gloucester through its support for the new Gloucestershire College campus, the construction of the bridge and its efforts to redevelop the vacated Brunswick Road campus as a housing-led project to deliver up to 400 new homes in the city centre.

The bridge will be open for pedestrians, cyclists and construction traffic from 19 November and then after further testing to general traffic on Sunday 23 November.

The completion marks the progress being made to ensure Gloucester is a place where people want to live and work. The event also highlighted the role young people have to play in the future of Gloucester by their inclusion at the event through to their catering for guests at a reception afterwards. Students from the Hospitality and Catering department of the nearby Gloucestershire College showcased their skills with a fine range of light refreshments for dignitaries.

1. English Partnerships is the national regeneration agency helping the Government to support high-quality sustainable growth in England. In collaboration with the Housing Corporation, the Academy for Sustainable Communities and Communities and Local Government, we are establishing the new Homes and Communities Agency that will begin operations on 1st December 2008.

2. The Gloucester Heritage Urban Regeneration Company’s £1 billion 10-year plan is based on the regeneration of seven key sites within the city centre. Known as the ‘Magnificent Seven’ these are: Gloucester Docks; Gloucester Quays; The Railway Triangle; King’s Square; Greyfriars; Blackfriars/Westgate Quay; and The Canal Corridor. Alongside these projects, Gloucester Heritage URC is planning an integrated public realm and public art strategy linking together the key developments.

3. Gloucester Quays is a joint venture between Peel and British Waterways. The scheme will be managed by Peel Land and Property, a division of The Peel Group. The Peel Group is one of the leading property and transport organisations in the U.K. with assets valued at over £5.5 billion. Peel has a property and land portfolio of more than 9 million square feet and 280,000 acres of land, incorporating 12 retail parks throughout the country, all of which are managed by Peel. Within this portfolio is The Trafford Centre, Manchester, a regional shopping centre which is one of the leading tourist destinations in the north west that is managed, owned and was developed by Peel. This 1.6 million square foot complex has 230 stores along three miles of granite and marble boulevards, 55 restaurants and cafes, plus other leisure activities and attracts more than 30 million visitors each year.

4. South West of England RDA leads the development of a sustainable economy, investing to unlock the region’s business potential. It works in partnership with public, private and social purpose organisations to drive up the region’s productivity by giving people the skills they need, encouraging enterprise, improving infrastructure, regenerating places, and promoting the strengths of the region. For more information see www.southwestrda.org.uk

British Waterways cares for a 2,200-mile network of canals and navigable rivers across the country and works with a broad range of public, private and voluntary sector partners to improve the social, economic and environmental benefits of the inland waterways. British Waterways is influencing and enabling an estimated £7 billion of regeneration with development in almost every city and town through which its waterways pass. It has direct participation in nine major property developments with blue chip partners, including Peel. In the order of 13,500 new homes will be created on British Waterways’ waterside regeneration schemes.