![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.railuk.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/08105853\/BraughingGirderCTheHREGroup.jpg\")
<\/a>Ian Ribbons, owner of the station, is the grandson of Horace Ribbons who was appointed stationmaster at Braughing in 1942, remaining in post until the line closed to passengers in 1964. \u201cOver the past few weeks, we\u2019ve learned a lot about the mismanagement of the bridge and how it\u2019s become a threat to public safety\u201d, says Mr Ribbons.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was not inevitable; it\u2019s happened through neglect. And now, the problems created by National Highways are being used by the company to justify infilling. They cannot be allowed to get away with that.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe share the frustration of locals whose journeys are being disrupted by the traffic lights that have been set up to control traffic over the bridge. But infilling is not the answer; there is a repair option on the table that achieves the same safety goals without the heritage harm.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sunday\u2019s rally was attended by 107 people, with some travelling from Lincolnshire and Norfolk to show their support. It followed the setting-up of an online petition against the infill scheme which secured its 2,000th signature last week.<\/p>\n
Martin Spackman, chair of the Buntingford Railway & Local History Society, was amongst those who gathered at the station. \u201cThe mood was determined and upbeat\u201d, he observes. \u201cToo many of our important legacy assets are being lost because custodians are unwilling to recognise their value and look after them appropriately. The station and, by extension, the bridge are valued by the community and embedded in Braughing\u2019s history.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe understand that money is limited, but that\u2019s not the issue here. If National Highways can afford half-a-million pounds to infill the bridge, why couldn\u2019t it find modest sums to keep up with day-to-day maintenance? Because it wants rid of a perceived liability, come what may. That raises some uncomfortable questions about its suitability as the bridge\u2019s caretaker.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s expected that an application for planning permission to infill the bridge will be submitted within the next few weeks. Meanwhile, campaigners have secured the help of a heritage consultant to seek the local authority\u2019s recognition of the structure as a \u2018building of significant interest\u2019 due to its architectural and historical value.<\/p>\n
Image credit: Paul Kearley<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
More than a hundred people of all age groups gathered at a historic railway bridge on Sunday (6th September) to demonstrate against National Highways\u2019 proposal to infill it with hundreds of tonnes of concrete. The state-owned roads company is responsible for the structure which carries the B1368 over the former Buntingford branch at Braughing in [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16013,4920,47,16031,85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-533384","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general-interest","category-heritage","category-rail-news","category-structures","category-uk"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t