Festival Organisers Call for New Bridge Construction to Access Site

Organisers of three Derbyshire festivals are appealing to the council to fund a new bridge for site access. The Chetwynd Bridge, a 200-year-old Grade II listed structure located near Alrewas in Staffordshire, serves as the primary access route to Catton Park, Walton-on-Trent, and nearby villages. In October, Staffordshire County Council indicated a potential closure of the bridge, citing worries about structural damage from heavy vehicle traffic. Leaders of Bloodstock, Bearded Theory, and Derbyshire Sausage and Cider Festival, all hosted at Catton Park, are now collectively pressing the council to allocate priority funding for a new bridge. The existing bridge has a 7.5-tonne weight limit and a 2.3-meter (7ft 6in) width restriction; however, the council reports that some drivers are disregarding these limitations. Representatives from Bloodstock Festival and Bearded Theory have stated they have prolonged their arrival periods over two days, distributing vehicle flow to alleviate congestion. Rachael Greenfield, director of Bloodstock Festival, commented: “We’ve come up with alternative routes for the build and break to ensure our vehicles do not use that bridge, but it’s still a massive route that they have to take, and it’s still an additional cost to us.” Greenfield asserted that constructing a new bridge “has to happen.” She further elaborated: “If it doesn’t, the fallout will be that the bridge closes, all traffic that works locally will have an 18-mile alternative route, which is crazy.” She added, “It also means our event traffic will be coming through the country roads, it’s dangerous, you can’t have that volume of traffic going through roads that are very narrow, it’s the perfect storm.” Ollie Neilson, landowner of Catton Estate, stated: “The success of the events at Catton, which bring in a significant amount of money to the local economy, are in a large part, due to the easy access to Catton Park from the A38, which does not disrupt any local villages.” He continued, “If the Chetwynd Bridge were to close, traffic would be diverted through rural communities in Staffordshire and Derbyshire, causing significant disruption to residents and event attendees alike. The potential economic and community impact of inaction is staggering.” Mark Deaville, cabinet member for strategic highways, commented: “We understand these restrictions are frustrating to local businesses and event organisers, but there is no other option, and we will not compromise on people’s safety.” He added, “We know the majority of businesses are supporting us by ensuring vehicles associated with their operations are complying with the restrictions – meaning the bridge can remain open for local communities.” Deaville concluded, “The long-term plan is to construct a new bypass road bridge, and we are continuing to make our case for funding to central government to enable this to happen.”