Moray Council has committed to providing £2.7 million towards the total cost of £4.23 million required for the replacement of the Cloddach Bridge, located near Birnie.

In March 2023, the UK Government committed to contribute £1.5m for the repair, subject to a full business case and match funding of at least 50 per cent.

The funding commitment enables the finalisation of both the financial case and full business case, which will then be submitted to the UK Government to determine if their contribution will be released. The bridge must demonstrate value for money in order to meet funding criteria.

Council Leader, Cllr Kathleen Robertson, said: "I'm pleased Moray Council has been able to support the next stage of the Cloddach Bridge rebuild in this way and glad we’re able to make the economic case for the work. We’re two years down the line from when we had to close the bridge on safety grounds and I appreciate the frustration of locals who just want decisions made. Given the precarious funding situation both at council and national level, over £4m isn’t a sum of money we can conjure up. We must be able to demonstrate value for that cost. We’ll continue to keep stakeholders and the community updated with progress over the next phase of the business case."

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During extensive discussion the council was made aware that the decision to make funding available for Cloddach Bridge is seen as departing from its established Bridge Maintenance Prioritisation Policy. In the context of significant financial savings being considered for 2025 and beyond, it may mean work on other bridges in Moray could be deferred.

Constructed in 1905, the Cloddach Bridge was designed with an estimated lifespan ranging between 100 and 120 years, necessitating substantial refurbishment or replacement thereafter. Situated on the C2E road near Birnie, a traffic survey conducted in 2020 revealed an average daily passage of fewer than 800 vehicles across the bridge. After several restrictive measures were imposed, the bridge's condition deteriorated due to non-compliance, leading to its closure in February 2022 for public safety reasons.