“Ambitious” plans to spend nearly £1.3 million on rebuilding a bridge have been approved.

Three Rivers District Council allocated £320,524 to replacing the pedestrian bridge off Riverside Drive, next to Ebury Play Area, after the level of repairs that would be required in the coming years were revealed in a report.

In July, the council shared that it would need a further £961,572 to fully fund it but applying for the money required planning permission to have gone through, making last week’s approval a key step.

Councillor Chris Lloyd said: “I’m pleased to see that the replacement of the pedestrian bridge with a new key access has taken a further step to fruition.

“The Rickmansworth Aquadrome is well loved by residents, so making sure this key access is future-proofed for years to come is very important to save maintenance costs and minimise disruption as much as possible.

“This replacement also provides us an opportunity to create better access to the Rickmansworth Aquadrome, by enhancing the area and creating a new link for cyclists.”

With the River Colne bridge nearing “the end of its useable life”, though still safe to use, the planning application was approved on October 19 after being submitted on July 7.

It was for a much wider bridge, up to 4.5 metres wide to allow shared usage by pedestrians and cyclists, and also includes updated fencing, seating areas, and footpaths for the area.

Watford Observer: The bridge at Rickmansworth Aquadrome.The bridge at Rickmansworth Aquadrome. (Image: Three Rivers District Council)

The council has bid to the Department for Transport’s Paths for Everyone funding programme.

When the plan was submitted, councillor Stephen Giles-Medhurst, who is responsible for planning and infrastructure, said: “The government rightly wants to encourage cycling and walking and if we can secure this money that is available from the government we can have a bang up to date bridge that enables both, and that will last for future generations.

“I am pleased the council has agreed that this is the way forward and we were able to allocate the funding.”

The £320,524 council money was allocated from the Community Infrastructure Levy pot, which comes from a charge on new developments.