Last month Councillors agreed to set up a working group to hear both from affected members of the public and other stakeholders before making a final decision on whether to increase the height of the existing parapets.

Dates have now been agreed for meetings to be held on both sides of the crossing in mid September.

Meetings being held for the public between 5pm and 8pm on Tuesday, 10 September at the Guildhall in Saltash and between 5pm and 8pm on Wednesday, 18 September at the Warspite Room in the Council House in Plymouth. The first part of the meeting between 5pm and 6pm will be an informal drop in session. This will be followed by an opportunity for members of the public to address the working party and any other attendees at 6pm. Councillors will also be meeting separately with other stakeholders.

Tamar Crossings, which operates the Bridge on behalf of the parent authorities – Plymouth City Council and Cornwall Council – operates a comprehensive safety programme, which includes dedicated CCTV coverage monitored in a 24/7 Control Room and specialist training for staff and contractors working at the Bridge.

The existing parapets on the Tamar Bridge are 1.5 metres high, and are amongst the highest on any major bridge in the UK. A detailed review of the parapets and public safety provisions on the Tamar Bridge carried out by staff from Tamar Crossings in partnership with the emergency services and health service professionals, concluded that, if additional safety measures were considered necessary, the most appropriate option would be to increase the height of the existing parapets to 2.6 metres. This is a more complex issue than may first appear and the option under consideration has a cost of around £6m.

The feedback from these meetings will be considered by members of the working group with a report expected to be brought back to the next meeting of the Joint Committee in October.