Pupils, parents and members of the public are celebrating the news that proposals to build a bridge over a school playground in Aberystwyth have been quashed.

The controversial plans to build a new bridge over Plascrug School’s playground to replace the current failing one between the school and Aberystwyth Rugby Club sparked safeguarding concerns from pupils, staff and the public.

Plascrug footbridge suffered storm damage in 2021. Despite being in dire need of repair and unsuitable for wheelchairs, pushchairs and bikes, it has remained in use, providing a vital link to three schools - Plascrug, Ysgol Gymraeg and Penweddig - as well as the rugby club, cemetery, park, and Plascrug Leisure Centre.

The council put together three options for a new bridge. All included Active Travel Network aims to make journeys on foot or by bike easier, particularly for those who don’t currently walk or cycle often, and people who use mobility aids, but two of those options sparked safety concerns.

Option A, which would see a new and improved bridge built at the site of the existing one situated between Plascrug and the rugby club, seemed like the most sensible option, but Options B and C, which would plough through the school’s new, award-winning outdoor nature area, and incorporated concealed bends people could hide behind, were also put forward.

A campaign against B and C was launched. A public consultation followed, opening with a public engagement event in the council’s Canolfan Rheidol building in Aberystwyth on 14 January.

Concerned Plascrug parents attended, confronting council staff about the dangers of options B and C, which would give easier access to photograph children playing outside, drop items directly on to children, staff and the play area below, and climb down into school grounds. Representatives from nearby organisations, councillors and members of the public also attended to find out more and Option A received overwhelming support.

The result of the consultation has led to the announcement this week that Ceredigion County Council will now add its support to Option A - the option to rebuild Plascrug Bridge in its current location.

The decision to drop its plans for a new bridge to be built on a portion of the local primary school playground represents a significant victory for the hundreds of campaigners who wanted the current structure replaced where it stands now.

Ceredigion's climbdown follows the public consultation that drew almost 2,000 responses. The vast majority, more that 1,600, supported Option A.

Reacting to the news that this is now the preferred choice, Hazel Hopkins from Plascrug School’s PTA said: “The huge consultation response shows how important this is to the whole community. Keeping the bridge in the same location is clearly the best option. I'm delighted that the council have listened to the public on this decision. I look forward to using the new bridge for years to come.”

Rob Rattray, Chairman of Aberystwyth Rugby Club said: “We are very happy with the outcome of the consultation, and that they have agreed with what we wanted and what the school wanted.”

Starling Cloud manager Grant Thomas said: “That’s a massive win. The bridge has been perfectly fine where it is for a long time so it just makes sense.

“We were big advocates for Option A from the start and are very happy to see the council listen to its people.

The Mayor of Aberystwyth, Cllr Emlyn Jones, said: "I'm really pleased that the county council agrees with the community that Option A is the right one to be put forward to the Welsh Government for consideration.

“I want to thank everyone involved in this consultation for contributing, especially the children of Ysgol Plascrug, who were fantastic examples of how to get involved in local issues."

Ceredigion released a statement on Tuesday, 16 June, announcing the news.

Outlining the history of the consultation, their statement said that, supported by Ymgynghoriaeth Gwynedd Consultancy (YGC) and Rural Office, Ceredigion County Council carried out the stakeholder and public engagement throughout the development of the scheme, culminating in a public consultation held between 14 January and 25 February 2026.

Three design concept options were presented. Option A proposed retaining the existing crossing location with an upgraded structure, while Options B and C proposed relocating the crossing across land forming part of the Plascrug School grounds with completely new bridge structures.

All responses have now been considered, and YGC has prepared a report on the outcome of the consultation. The report will be shared on the County Council’s website, and with key stakeholders.

The results show an overwhelming preference for Option A, with 95.3 per cent of questionnaire responses supporting the proposal to retain the existing crossing location and provide an upgraded structure. This preference was also reflected in the majority of written responses favouring Option A over Options B and C and which identified a range of concerns including potential child safeguarding, visual impact and loss of ‘green’ areas within school grounds, and convenience/ travel distances.

In addition to face-to-face stakeholder engagement undertaken in mid-January, written representations were also received from several key organisations located close to the proposed options. While these organisations supported Option A, they highlighted operational considerations and sought assurance that they would continue to be involved during the detailed design stage so that concerns could be considered and addressed.

Several respondents also raised concerns about temporary severance of the route during the construction phase and urged the council to explore temporary arrangements to help preserve access wherever possible.

Cllr Shelley Childs, Cabinet Member for Highways and Environmental Services, said: “The consultation has given us a very clear outcome with an overwhelming majority of respondents supporting Option A. I would like to thank everyone who took the time to share their views and help shape the future of this important active travel link.

“We have listened carefully to the feedback received, particularly the concerns raised about the alternative options and the importance of retaining a convenient, accessible route for people walking, wheeling and cycling. “We will now take Option A forward for further design development and continue working closely with local stakeholders to ensure the scheme meets the needs of the community while addressing the design and delivery challenges that remain.”

Having considered the consultation feedback, Ceredigion agreed that Option A should be taken forward for further design development as the preferred and most acceptable option. Welsh Government Regional Transport Fund capital grant funding, through the Mid Wales Corporate Joint Committee’s Regional Transport Plan, has been secured for this financial year to enable that work to take place.

The council says there will need to be continued engagement and effective communication with directly affected stakeholders as the design develops, particularly in relation to access, safeguarding, temporary arrangements during construction, operational impacts and detailed accessibility requirements.

Although Option A will now progress to detailed design, any future construction remains subject to several significant factors which the council and its consultants will now consider as part of the development of a viable scheme.

More information, including the consultation report, is available at https://shorturl.at/hFaKL.