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NewsTranscript
00:00Thank you for coming today. First of all I'd like to, this is a real pleasure, this has been done within a year, the funding, a joint collaboration between Peterborough City Council and the Combined Authority.
00:12Thank you to Nick Johnson, Anna Smith and everybody in the Combined Authority. Everybody only offers us at City Council, especially Milestone, for all the construction works over the last months.
00:24And also don't forget that we will be trying to get the third bridge, we will get the funding so that we can enhance this wonderful nature reserve.
00:37I'd also like to give a big shout out to all the ward councillors who are standing here, they from Warrington and from Gunford who have been campaigning for this, who have been brilliant, our eyes on the ground.
00:50Thank you Warrington, thank you Gunford councillors and let's open this wonderful nature reserve bridge, Cuckoo's Hollow. Hereby open Cuckoo's Hollow Bridge.
01:07Cuckoo's Hollow is a wonderful nature reserve in the heart of Warrington in Peterborough.
01:12As you can see, lovely lakes, we've now got two new bridges, hoping to get the funding for the third bridge as soon as possible.
01:19We've got lovely new viewing areas, as you can see over there, and it's a real gem in Peterborough.
01:26And I thank all the Combined Authority, Peterborough City Council, all the work they've been doing to getting these constructed over the last year.
01:32It's a real pleasure to be able to officially open them today.
01:35It's going to take a lot of work from councillors and a lot of work from funding as well. Wonderful, did you get to this point?
01:39As I said, there's still more work to do. We'll approach different funding sources for the future for the third bridge.
01:47And working with all the ward councillors from Warrington and Gunford which cover the area to make sure we're doing the right thing and enhancing this lovely area.
01:56What are your thoughts on the overall delivery of the project?
01:59Well, I mean, these bridges, the closure of these bridges has caused a great deal of inconvenience for residents.
02:06Effectively, it's cut off communities. I know how terrible it has been for people here and I've been pressing on this, you know, once I was the MP.
02:14And now as mayor, to see this completed is obviously a huge relief to everybody.
02:19OK, so we've got two of the three bridges been delivered so far. There's been talk from council and cabinet members about potentially a third bridge. Is that something you would hope to see in the future?
02:27I definitely want to work with them on a third bridge. And my message to Peterborough City Council is, you know, let's get on with it.
02:33Because, you know, effectively, as I say, this has been a huge inconvenience for people. It's obviously very positive that we're opening it.
02:40But, you know, I think we need to actually get some perspective here. This has been terrible for local people.
02:46And while we can celebrate that we're opening bridges, you know, there's not a lot to celebrate for the residents who have been effectively cut off for the past 18 months or so.
02:55Can you tell us, as a local council, just how important these bridges are?
02:58They're very important. It's a loop round the lake. The lake is a jewel in the crown of Warrington.
03:03Without a shadow of doubt, it's one of the beautiful areas out. We needed to replace the bridge because they were unsafe.
03:10It's as simple and straightforward as that. They were unsafe. This is not me speaking. This is a qualified bridge structural engineer.
03:16So they had to be replaced. Unfortunately, they all had to be replaced at the same time.
03:20Unfortunately, we haven't got the third bridge, but that is coming. We've been promised that they're still looking for funding.
03:25The cabinet members here today, and he said his own words that we will find the money somehow to build that third bridge.
03:32We're over the moon, absolutely over the moon, but it's not down just to me. It's down to the Free War Councils in Gunthorpe,
03:39and also the Free War Councils in Warrington, and also Warrington Navy Council who's had involvement on this.
03:46We've pushed and we've pushed, and we've got the money, and I thank the combined authority.
03:51I thank Maltstone, who built the bridge, and I also thank the cabinet member, Angus Ellis, for supporting us all the way.
03:57So this is a great achievement, and I think, personally, I'm over the moon, absolutely over the moon, as we all are.