CONTROVERSIAL railings on a Winchester railway bridge are set to be replaced.
Network Rail has applied for planning permission to replace the fencing which was erected in 2020 following a death at St Paul's bridge.
The railings were criticised for their ugliness and the fact there had been no planning application.
In the planning application Network Rail state: "Following the installation of the anti-trespass fencing in 2020, Network Rail have worked with various stakeholders including the local community and heritage specialists to ensure that the design of the railing proposed are sympathetic to the conservation area as well as reducing the risk of trespassing onto the operational railway."
The current fencing erected in 2020
There have so far been no objections. The preservation watchdogs, the City of Winchester Trust, has stated it has no comment on the proposal.
The proposed fencing will rise to about 2.5m above the footway and will be painted black. The current fencing is a dark green. The original Victorian fencing removed in 2020 was black.
The bridge, just south of the train station, dates from around 1839 when the railway was completed between Winchester and Southampton.
Network Rail plans to erect the fencing in short stretches on Clifton Terrace, St Paul's Hill and Newburgh Street.
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