Devon County Council, supported by Labour led-Exeter City Council has successfully bid for funding from Active Travel England to replace Mallison Bridge.

The awarded £1.1m is part of £101 million of government funding to improve cycling and walking routes in the city and make it easier to move around Exeter by bike or on foot, boosting health and wellbeing and cutting carbon emissions.

The successful funding bid to Active Travel England provides the external funding that makes it possible to replace the bridge to improve access for walkers and cyclists at the Quay.

Mallison Bridge was closed in 2018 and removed in 2020 after it was found to be structurally weak and beyond repair. An alternative route through an alleyway connecting the river to Commercial Road has been in place since then, while adequate funding for a permanent replacement has been explored.

Labour Leader Phil Bialyk said: “I’ve always said that we are committed to replacing Mallison Bridge at the appropriate time, whenever funding is available.”

“An opportunity came from the Department for Transport’s Active Travel funding and I am so pleased that the application by Devon County Council, which we supported, means that we will now see a replacement Mallison Bridge.”

“It will be an important link again and will add to the cycle network, which we strongly support in the city. This will improve active travel in Exeter and ensure that a new Mallison Bridge, which accommodates both pedestrians and cyclists, is returned to the city.”

The new bridge will be installed through a partnership between Exeter City Council, Devon County Council and the Exeter Quay and Canal Trust on the site of the old bridge.