Footbridge deal - two further land agreements reached with developer

COUNCILLORS have welcomed news of progress towards the long-awaited replacement of a footbridge at Runkerry Strand.

As reported in last week’s Chronicle, Causeway Coast and Glens Council has signed-off on a licence to erect the crossing and permissive path agreements with the landowner at the beauty spot near Portballintrae.

The deals pave the way for a replacement pedestrian bridge, restoring the walking route between the village and the Giant’s Causeway after a five-year wait.

When the Chronicle asked the council why the bridge replacement had taken so long, a spokesperson simply said officers had “been in negotiations since 2022” but “agreement has now been reached.”

Legal documents covering the Runkerry deal were formally ‘sealed’ when the full council met last Tuesday (October 6).

On the same night, the council also sealed documents covering a ‘deeds of variation’ over land leases elsewhere in Portballintrae.

Those documents relate to requests for lease extensions at Bayhead Road and Seaport Avenue in the village.

The lessee at the two sites is also the landowner at Runkerry who agreed the bridge licence and permissive path agreement.

Approval of the lease extension was recommended by the Council’s Land and Property sub-committee during a behind-closed-doors meeting in June.

Sub-committee minutes suggest the Bayhead Road lease extension was granted “at the equitable value” while the Seaport Avenue lease was extended at “the market value as recommended by LPS” Land and Property Services.

The site is associated with a planning application for a ‘boutique hotel’.

Following the full council meeting last week, Alderman Richard Brown Stewart said the delay in replacing the bridge over Runkerry burn had been “frustrating.”

But he added: “I am absolutely delighted that, after almost five years, we are finally going to see the Runkerry footbridge replaced.

“This is a hugely popular walking route linking Portballintrae with the Giant’s Causeway, and the absence of the bridge has caused a significant gap along what should be one of our premier coastal walking routes.

“Quite simply, it should not have taken five years to get to this point. There have been far too many delays and frustrations along the way but I am pleased that officers have now secured the necessary agreements with the landowner and that a replacement footbridge can finally move forward.

“The important thing now is that we get on with it and see the bridge delivered.”

The original bridge over Runkerry burn was constructed by the National Trust in the mid-1990s.

It links the council-managed beach to the cliff path around National Trust-owned headlands and on to the Giant’s Causeway.

For a number of years the footbridge was maintained by the charity, but due to a shift in policy the Trust no longer maintains sections of pathway outside their ownership.

In December 2021 officers declared the crossing unsafe. It was removed, and in February the following year, Causeway Coast and Glens councillors were asked to agree installation of a replacement.

in May 2022, councillors approved an engineering firm’s tender to replace the bridge for £29,000 but work could not proceed until agreements with the landowner had been reached.

The UUP’s Sandra Hunter said: “I warmly welcome the license facilitation finally moving ahead to allow for the long-awaited re-erection of the Pedestrian Footbridge at Runkerry Burn, alongside the Permissive Path Agreement on Runkerry Head.

“This progress is especially crucial ahead of the winter months, when we see a much larger volume of water passing down the Runkerry Burn and out to the sea.

“It has certainly been a long time coming and I know this milestone will be hugely appreciated by everyone who relies on and enjoys this area.”