We are working on a great new project for Sleaford. It’s a new pedestrian footbridge which we havedesigned as part of a wider Sleaford South East Regeneration Project. The bridge provides a fully accessible pedestrian walkway and cycle link and the design has been developed in close consultation with North Kesteven District Council and Lincolnshire County Council. The bridge forms part of a wider Sleaford South East Regeneration Project as outlined in the Sleaford Masterplan.

Sleaford railway station and Sleaford East signal box – which was built in around 1882 – are Grade II listed buildings and the east corner of the site along Station Road is particularly important for its visibility from the high street. Therefore, access to the footbridge from that side of the railway has been designed in order to provide a really interesting and aesthetically pleasing destination point.

Dora Vestito is overseeing the project. She said: “This is a visually interesting project for Sleaford. The blockwork retaining wall supporting part of the ramps and landing will be clad in a a sustainable living wall system with planting, allowing a soft landscape element to a highly visible corner of the footbridge infrastructure.”

The central part of the footbridge has been designed as a contemporary piece of infrastructure, providing a safe and pleasant link for pedestrians and cyclists. The bridge construction system is a Virendeel truss, widely used in similar railway projects which optimises costs and gives great flexibility for cladding options.

Given the sensitive nature of the footbridge location, glazed balustrades were chosen allowing clear views of the listed station, footbridge and signal box, generating a positive contrast between the solid brick fabric of the existing building and the lightness of the modern intervention.