Moray Council has taken the first steps towards replacing the footbridge to Lossiemouth's East Beach.

While the tender documents for this project are currently being prepared by Moray Council, the prequalification part of the tender has now been published on the Scottish Government's procurement website.

Prequalification is where companies interested in submitting a tender for the works are required to demonstrate they meet the criteria.

After the prequalification submissions have been assessed, the top five companies will be invited to tender for the works. It is anticipated that the tender process will be completed by June 2020, after which the contract will be awarded.

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It was at a special meeting of Moray Council in December that councillors agreed to oversee the delivery and take ownership of a replacement footbridge between Lossiemouth and the East Beach.

Once the tender is awarded the project will be undertaken in two stages by the contractor; stage one is a feasibility study to identify the preferred option for the crossing. This will be funded by the Lossiemouth Community Development Trust; stage two is the design and construction of the bridge which will be fully funded by Scottish Government. Once completed it will be handed over to Moray Council to maintain it.

Until the tender process is complete it's not possible to provide details of how long the work will take, but the council's best estimate is that the new footbridge will be complete by summer 2021.

(MH/JG)