A FOOTBRIDGE at the historic Bishops Palace in Wells looks set to be replaced as it is in a “poor and declining condition”.

Plans have been submitted to Somerset Council outlining the replacement of a crossing in the north east corner of the site.

The bridge connects the palace’s formal gardens to the rear of the Jocelin range, to the gardens around the Wells Pool and St Andrew’s Well.

“The bridge spans across the banks, with a middle landing built on a small ‘moat-island’, that it shares with a willow tree,” the application said.

“The bridge is open-sided and constructed of timber uprights, braces and handrails. The landings are built of rubblework footings and are finished in Lias paving. Timber boards complete the floor deck of the two main sections of bridge.”

Submitted on behalf of the Palace Trust, the application details how the narrow walkway “is most unsatisfactory, especially for visitors in motorised wheelchairs and parents with pushchairs”.

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“The open sides are also a particular safety concern for the Palace Trust,” it went on.

It added: “It should also be noted that the bridge is in a poor and declining condition and will be beyond meaningful repair before too long.”

A new, replacement bridge would be built to replace the current structure, “constructed of a superstructure of steel beams supported on conrete mini-piles”, the plans added.

“The steel deck will carry a joisted timber boarded floor, and a closed balustrading made up of a series of steel uprights clad in timber, with secondary square balusters between two rails – also all in timber,” it said.

How the new footbridge at the Bishops Palace in Wells could look. Picture: Somerset Council/Benjamin+Beauchamp

“There are numerous examples of Oak being used around the Palace in the construction of guardrails and gates, and we will be using it again here. Where the galvanised steel touches the Oak, we will need to swap it out for Sweet Chestnut, as the Oak isn’t compatible with the galvanised finish.

“The new bridge will be 2.2m wide, and as such, capable of accommodating two heavy duty motorised wheelchairs side by side.

“It will also span across the moat as a single and level structure. The small difference in height between the two banks will be accommodated by nominal 2 degree gradient.”

The plans will now be considered by Somerset Council planners. For more details, and to comment, log on to somerset.gov.uk and search application reference 2025/0810/FUL.