Declares that Marsh Lock Horsebridge should be repaired and reopened; notes that an online petition on the issue was started by Claudia Fennel; notes the online petition on this issue has received over 6,000 signatures; notes the petition is supported by the former Mayor and the Deputy Mayor of Henley; further notes that the bridge has been closed since May 2022; notes that the bridge is an important part of the constituency community and impacts the mental and physical health of residents; notes that residents are currently unable to access the Thames path to Shiplake and numerous swimming spots; and further notes that local businesses reliant on the footfall from walkers and river-goers have been badly affected.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to take immediate action to encourage the Environment Agency to repair and reopen Marsh Lock Horsebridge.
And the petitioners remain, etc.
[Presented by Freddie van Mierlo, Official Report, 14 May 2025; Vol. 767, c. 458.]
[P003067]
Observations from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Emma Hardy):
The Government would like to thank the petitioners for raising the issue of repairs to Marsh Lock horse bridge.
The Government recognise that the inland waterways across England and Wales provide many public benefits, including leisure and recreation, health and wellbeing, green corridors for biodiversity to flourish, and contributing to the growth of local economies. However, the Government do not have responsibility for operational matters on the waterways, such as the maintenance and repair of assets, as this rests with individual navigation authorities who have a duty to manage and operate their waterways, or riparian landowners who own the banks or the bed of the river.
The Environment Agency grant-in-aid funding provided by DEFRA is used among other things for maintaining key assets such as navigation locks, weirs, and bridges. In the particular case of Marsh Lock horse bridge, due to the expected repair costs and other competing needs of the non-tidal River Thames navigation, progress on the necessary repairs has not been as quick as originally intended.
A new funding solution is now being developed by the Environment Agency, with the aim of accelerating this project. The Environment Agency will be seeking funding with partners, to be used alongside the grant funding received from DEFRA. The plan is for the Environment Agency to use £500,000 in 2025-26 to fund the initial stages of the Marsh Lock horse bridge repairs, along with repairs to another footbridge at Temple Lock. The funding from partners will then be used for the future stages. Once the project is developed to point where funding partners have been secured and the bridge refurbishment timescales are known, the Environment Agency will publish an update on the www.gov.uk website.
The Environment Agency Thames area director met with the hon. Member on 10 April at the bridge site to set out this proposed plan, and will continue to engage with the hon. Member on the matter as the work progresses.