Plans for the installation of a multi-million pound bridge walk and visitor centre at the iconic Forth Bridge are back on track.
Network Rail has submitted a pre-application notice to City of Edinburgh Council for revised proposals at the UNESCO World Heritage site.
The revised plans include a low-level reception hub to the east of the Forth Bridge.
The project was put “on hold” in March following discussions with the Scottish Government and was further delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Despite the project being put on hold, Network Rail insisted at the time that it was still fully committed to the project, having concluded a tendering process.
367ft-high viewing platform
The ambitious £35m project, which will create around 40 new jobs, will offer visitors stunning views across the Firth of Forth from a 367ft-high viewing point.
The new plan would see it sited further away from neighbouring residential properties, minimising the impact on the surrounding environment.
The pre-application process will include online engagement meetings to communicate the revised proposals to the public and gather feedback which will help inform the final designs.
A full planning application, including plans, artist impressions and detailed designs will also be submitted later this year.
The proposals will see construction of a bridge walk and reception hub on the South Queensferry side of the popular site.
This will be used for preparing those heading out on the bridge walk as well as providing an access point to the structure.
Groups of between 12 and 15 people will put on safety harnesses before being led out onto the bridge’s south cantilever, walking up to a viewing point at the top using walkways built into the structure.
Alan Ross, Network Rail Scotland’s director of engineering and asset management, said: “The events of the past year have prompted us to look more closely at all of our projects to consider how they could be improved or made more affordable in such challenging conditions.
Iconic bridge
“The project team has worked extremely hard to draw up revised proposals without compromising the desirability of this exciting project.”
Completed in 1890 after eight years of construction, the iconic Forth Bridge is one of the most instantly-recognisable bridges in the world.
Spanning across the Forth and totalling 2,467m in length, the iconic bridge was granted World Heritage status by UNESCO in 2015.
