THE £480,000 footbridge to replace the one washed away during floods in Aberdour was going to be made in the Netherlands. 

But Fife Council are no longer going Dutch as they’ve ditched that plan and opted for a cheaper timber design instead – they’ll save money although it could be 2024 before it’s in place. 

It’s not clear where this bridge will be made but any further delays will add to the frustration of local residents and businesses who have been without a crossing at the harbour since August 2020. 

Local councillor David Barratt told the Press: “They’ve scrapped the agreed fibre-reinforced plastic design so it shouldn’t be over-budget, which is a good thing, although it’s still extremely expensive for what’s being delivered. 

“I didn’t think we should be spending public money on a folly just for the sake of innovation, which involved the bridge being built in the Netherlands. 

“I didn’t get the logic of that one, I don’t know why we couldn’t get someone in Scotland to do it, or at least the UK, but as councillors we are not the technical experts. 

“You have to take the word of the professionals and that was the advice at the time.”

The bridge was washed away by floods during the storms of August 2020 and the council set aside £405,000 for a replacement. 

However, they received only one tender for the job in the summer and that firm wanted much more money. 

The team went back to the drawing board and a timber footbridge was one of four new design options outlined at last month’s South and West Fife area committee. 

It came in at £323,000 but was discounted as delivery would be “in the region of six-to-12 months” and the lifespan of the bridge would drop from 120 years to 30 years. 

Instead, the preferred option was just under £480,000, which would take one-to-three months to put in place, but the council would need to agree extra funding when the capital budget is set in February. 

Cllr Barratt said: “Now they seem to have confirmed it will be a timber bridge, which will come in on budget so we don’t have to wait until February’s capital budget meeting as there’s no need for increased funding. 

“I’ve argued for a while now that we should get the tender process started as soon as possible, and widen the pool of engineering firms that can bid, but the council kept insisting they’d start the tender process in February with the aim of starting on site in the spring. 

“I can’t fathom why we have to wait until February, it’s bizarre. We just need to get it done.”

The council wouldn’t confirm if the timber bridge option had the same cost and timescale as that presented to the committee. 

Instead, their service manager for structural services, Michael Anderson, thanked the community in Aberdour for their patience, “given the number of challenges associated with this project”.

He added: “We are revising the design option for a replacement footbridge at the harbour and will update further early in the new year.”

Last month, John Mitchell, head of roads and transportation, had questioned whether spending the best part of £500,000 on a small bridge was the “best use of that money”, and that if they’d had their time again the council may have opted not to replace it. 

Cllr Barratt said that was a “daft suggestion” and added: “In hindsight, the right thing to do was to put it out as a design-and-build tender at the very beginning. 

“It would probably have been done by now and at a cheaper cost.”