ONLINE crowdfunding could prove the salvation for the heritage footbridge at Alton railway station.

Facing the axe from Network Rail after it was found to be in need of full repair and restoration, it is thought to be the only surviving example of a wooden railway footbridge anywhere in the UK.

Installed in 1892 by the London and South Western Railway, the bridge is considered key to preserving the integrity of the town’s Victorian railway station.

Driving the campaign to ‘Save Alton’s Historic Footbridge’ are the Friends of Alton Station, established in 2014 to lobby for and oversee improvements and conservation of the town’s station.

Following the installation in 2013 of a new footbridge, Network Rail was set to remove the old bridge when FAS stepped in to save what it considered part of Alton’s architectural heritage.

Having raised en e-petition to save the bridge, the Friends of Alton Station chairman Stephen Lewis said: “After a number of surveys, and the closure of the bridge to the public, Network Rail have decided that they are not able to spend money restoring the bridge. However, they are willing to offer their budgeted removal costs of £250,000 to the pot if we are able to find other funding.”

With an estimated restoration cost of up to £450,000, the stay of execution to allow the Friends of Alton Station to find the additional money is fast coming to an end.

At the close of last year the Friends of Alton Station commissioned a professional structural engineering report from Integral Engineering Design, paid for through donations, to determine the true extent of damage to the bridge and the work needed to save it from destruction.

Having met this week with a representative of Network Rail, an added complication, said Mr Lewis, was that Network Rail had ruled out any possibility of continued ownership.

“The blunt choice is that someone takes ownership, with all the accompanying repair and statutory test costs, or Network Rail will remove it sometime later this year,” he said.

This presents the Friends of Alton Station with a problem.

If it were to take on ownership it would need to set up a dedicated charitable trust and then find the money to repair the bridge.

Mr Lewis said: “We could opt to only raise enough to repair the footbridge to be safe, rather than fully restored or even open to the public. This would at least save the footbridge from destruction.”

He points out that if it were fully restored, the main concern would be the on-going cost of keeping the structure in good repair, the insurance and the required statutory structural and loading tests.

The most pressing problem, however, is the short timescale in which to act, which could be as little as three months.

The Friends of Alton Station is still waiting to hear the results of a listing review, and of discussions by the Railway heritage designation advisory board which, if positive, would be a bonus.

In the meantime, if Network Rail sticks by its promise to put the £250,000 demolition cost toward the restoration project, the pressure is on to find the balance.

Mr Lewis said: “If we could get funding and donations of say £50,000 to £100,000, then it might be enough to save the footbridge in the short to medium-term.

“The options for raising this sort of money are online crowdfunding, donations from wealthy benefactors and grants from funding bodies – probably a combination of all three.

“It may seem like a tall order, but given the appeal of the Mid-Hants Watercress Line on an international level, perhaps it is just achievable.”

He was emphatic: “The footbridge is the last of its kind and it will be a real letdown if we have to stand by while it is removed. Let’s hope that it doesn’t come to that.”

To find out more or if you can help, call Stephen Lewis on 01420 544881 or e-mail [email protected].