A bespoke timber footbridge constructed by Gainsborough-based HLD Ltd is being credited with boosting regeneration in a run-down part of Alton.
The 5.2m-long bridge, built with durable ekki from West Africa, is a key part of a conservation scheme to revive Old George Alley, which runs alongside the River Wey in the Hampshire market town.
It has allowed an area on the west bank to be brought into economic use, including the conversion of a disused 16th century coach house into a restaurant. Several private initiatives to restore old buildings in the vicinity are also underway.
Tony Hutchings, consultant architect for East Hampshire District council, said: “The whole area is undergoing a rapid transformation which would have been quite impossible to achieve without this new bridge.”
