Gobowen footpath to remain closed until March 2028

The footpath in Gobowen crosses the Chester to Shrewsbury railway line via Black Bridge and continues across a neighbouring field until it reaches the A5/A483 bypass.

Shropshire Council says Persimmon Homes had applied to temporarily close the path in August 25 while it builds new houses on the field.

Black Bridge had remained open, but was closed in August after it was struck by a digger while works were taking place on the railway line.

When asked about the reopening of the bridge, Network Rail said the closure was at the request of Shropshire Council.

(Image: Emily Lloyd)

A spokesperson said: "The footpath crossing the bridge has been closed by the local authority for some time to facilitate developments to the west side of the structure, with plans to reopen it from March 15, 2028."

Shropshire Council said the initial closure was approved for six months, before a request to extend it was received.

The spokesman also said they understood that the bridge was struck by a train and not a digger.

A spokesperson said: "An application for the temporary closure of the footpath was submitted by Persimmon Homes in August 2025 on health and safety grounds, as development works were being carried out on the land over which the footpath runs. The closure was originally granted for six months.

"Persimmon subsequently applied for an extension, and the footpath is now temporarily closed until March 2028.

"Following the recent incident in which a train struck the bridge, Network Rail were advised that they did not need to apply for a separate closure during their repair work.

"We believe that work to the bridge has now been completed, but the footpath remains temporarily closed due to the ongoing works being undertaken by Persimmon."

The footpath is regularly used by people in the village, particularly those living on the Wats Meadow housing estate.

In pictures seen on social media, the digger was directly underneath the bridge and had lifted it away from the staircase during the incident on August 25.

The bridge was installed last year as a replacement for the one that had been there for several years.