Join Erewash Sound for a party in park as town’s stunning bridge opens!

The Bridge at Broad Street as it nears completion. (Credit: EBC)

A spectacular new curved bridge with a soaring arch will formally open in an Erewash town this weekend – as residents get to celebrate with an outdoor party with Erewash Sound front and centre of it!

The eye-popping landmark – one of the most dramatic results of Long Eaton’s £25million Town Deal – began taking shape four months ago. Its giant arch was craned into place over the Erewash Canal just before England’s first World Cup game – immediately drawing comparisons with the iconic one at Wembley Stadium.

The footbridge and cycleway linking Long Eaton’s centre to the town’s much-loved West Park has cost £4.2million – which includes an entire new waterfront so people can enjoy the canal.

It officially opens to the public from 2:00pm on Saturday 19th September – and Erewash Borough Council has teamed up with local radio station Erewash Sound to stage festivities.

The community celebration in West Park will kick off with children’s activities and sports, including a cricket friendly, and continue with family friendly music from 4pm until dusk at around 7pm.

The bridge at Broad Street – which Erewash council leader James Dawson hailed as a “truly magnificent” new landmark – replaces a metal crossing that was in a sorry state as it neared the end of its lifespan.

It was built so low that for almost 100 years towpath users needed to duck under it. Cllr Dawson said: “The new crossing’s imaginative design not only makes the most of what is a challenging location but means no-one risks banging their heads.”

Government Town Deal investment that the council battled to clinch five years ago has fuelled a string of regeneration projects.

The new West Park Bridge is the second to be constructed across the canal to boost connectivity and enhance the local cycle path network. The other one cost £2.1million and opened in June half a mile away at Britannia Mills – which used to be a centre for lacemaking. Families in more than 100 affordable homes that have been built on the site previously faced a long trek to cross the canal.

The biggest of the regeneration projects is an ambitious £10million revamp of Long Eaton’s town centre, which is currently underway. The mission to boost the High Street as a destination for shopping and leisure is due to be completed before next summer.

The new look features design elements that pay tribute to Long Eaton’s history as a UK capital for furniture-making. Street furniture will mimic sofas.

Meanwhile architects of the new West Park Bridge have also incorporated nods to the town’s industrial past. A floral design in the balustrade echoes the kind of wedding lace that Harrington Mill was famed for. Handrails are red like the thread used in lacemaking to highlight a repair – and signify how the bridge stitches together the two sides of the canal.

A mural will feature on the rear of the Sankey Upholstery building, along the canal, thanks to an agreement with the building owners. It will highlight the new waterfront and bridge, whilst interlinking the design into the history of the lace industry and canals. It will also feature a detailed depiction of a lace worker from the early 20th century.

The design, funded by the Erewash Investment Fund, has been worked up by the council’s appointed artist Neil Keating in collaboration with Derbyshire artist Ellespaint.