COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF LUCAN / PALMERSTOWN / NORTH CLONDALKIN AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, November 23, 2021

MOTION NO. 19

MOTION: Councillor G. O'Connell

To ask the Chief Executive If any contact has taken place between this Council and Fingal County Council on progressing the preservation and restoration of the Silver Bridge since the recent Government Grant to Fingal County Council for securing the Bridge as the feasibility study was funded through the 300K Have Your Say indicating that the people of this County are deeply interested in the restoration of the Bridge, that the Chief Executive make a statement on the situation and that a discussion take place

REPORT:

Members received a presentation by CORA Consulting Engineers at the May 2020 ACM where the findings of a feasibility study on the Silverbridge at Palmerstown was given.

The presentation highlighted that Fingal County Council is the custodian of the Silverbridge in Palmerstown and the restoration and future use of the bridge is a matter for Fingal County Council, considering health and safety, financial outlay and ultimate use whilst having regard to significant constraints, in terms of structural constraints, landownership and finance. 

The conclusion of the presentation was that there was no coherent realisable project into which the bridge could be placed either now or in the near or mid term future from either local authority`s point of view.

In early 2021 Fingal Co Co made an application to the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, for grant assistance under Stream 2 of the Historic Structures Fund 2021. The application was for essential conservation works to protect the Guinness’ Silver’ Bridge which is in Fingal Co Co ownership. The proposed works were intended to address stability and will be generally confined to the metal bridge structure and the stone abutment on the northern side.

The application was successful and total grant funding of €140,000 had been offered with remaining funding from Fingal Co Co as the owner of the structure.

Subsequently Fingal Co Co appointed an integrated conservation design team to develop tender package and manage the conservation of the bridge structure. A contractor has recently been appointed  for enabling works to assist the team with vegetation clearance on the stone abutments  and access for inspections. It is intended that the design development will allow for tendering of the works early in 2022 and the conservation works are expected to take 9 months to complete. A provision of €1.54m has been allocated for conservation works Fingal County Council  2022- 2024 Capital Programme of Works.

These works will conserve and protect  the bridge  structure as a landscape feature however public access onto the bridge structure is not currently proposed.