PLANS for a new 128ft-long bridge at Ullswater go before the national park authority next week.

It is a permanent replacement for the 251-year-old Pooley Bridge over the River Eamont destroyed by Storm Desmond in December 2015.

Eric Wright Civil Engineering Ltd won the county council contract and is seeking planning permission.

The national park’s development control committee meets on Wednesday, May 1 with officers recommending the scheme be approved.

But the report has warned of “inconvenience and disturbance” as it requires the closure of a section of the A592 and the B5230 for months.

A temporary footbridge will provide pedestrian access only which spells long diversions for motorists, as seen in the aftermath of the bridge loss.

“The applicant has explored a variety of potential construction methods and it is not possible to retain a temporary bridge for vehicles,” said documents lodged with the national park.

The temporary pedestrian footbridge will require the use of parts of residents’ land and gardens for it to slot into place. That carries “adverse implications for the privacy and amenity,” said the park report.

However, “temporary screens” will be put up to help mitigate the loss of privacy, according to the planners’ report.

Temporary replacement car parking will also be provided on each side of the River Eamont due to the loss of Dunmallard Car Park.

It is planned to close the road and remove the existing Bailey Bridge in September with sections of the new bridge delivered that month.

The steel skeleton is expected to go in place in November with various works then taking until April or May 2020.

Area planner Ben Long for the LDNPA said: “This is an unavoidable implication of a substantial infrastructure project such as this.”

“The adverse effect would be small and temporary and outweighed by the public benefits of restoring a permanent bridge over the river in this location,” said Mr Long’s report.

Dunmallard Car Park, near the wood of the same name, will be the main construction area. It will require the loss of five small deciduous trees. A further 10 trees, described as “mostly planted conifers” would also need to come down. A planting scheme and restoration of the sites is planned.

The new single span design will allow access over the River Eamont for vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians.

It is described as a “high quality, graceful structure” with an “elegant contemporary design”.

Applicants said: “The new design needed to be resilient to flooding, safe for all users, and quick to construct – none of which could be practically achieved by rebuilding what had been there before or a similar three-span arch option.”

The development control committee is chaired by Peter Allen MBE, the deputy chairman of the LDNPA, from Bampton Grange.