A long-running disagreement over the future of a Norwich bridge - and whether it should be welded shut to cut maintenance costs - remains unresolved more than two years after the dispute was sparked.
Norfolk County Council is spending tens of thousands of pounds each year to maintain Carrow Bridge, which is 100 years old this year.
County Hall's proposals to reduce how much it spends on the bridge's maintenance triggered a row with the Broads Authority in 2021.
The council's Conservative-controlled cabinet agreed to spend £150,000 to fix Carrow Bridge, which can lift to allow vessels to pass on the River Wensum beneath it, into place.
The council's thinking was that welding it in place would save on maintenance costs because deck panels would not have to be fixed so often, after being shaken loose by traffic.
The council had considered spending more than £2m for a repair scheme to allow the bridge to keep lifting, which would have shut the bridge to traffic for three months, but decided against that.
But it triggered opposition from the Broads Authority because the Norwich Corporation Act 1920 states the bridge must be able to open to allow vessels to pass to access the port of Norwich.
The authority said it would be "totally unacceptable" to weld the bridge shut, with lawyers confirming the validity of the 1920 act.
The council's welding plan was scrapped, but it has emerged that there has still been no resolution about what the long-term plan for the bridge will entail.
The issue of the bridge cropped up in papers presented at a recent meeting of the county council's cabinet.
The report stated: "In last year’s highway capital report, the need to establish a longer-term solution for Carrow Bridge was highlighted.
"Discussions are ongoing with key partners, including the Broads Authority, to agree
short-term and longer-term options for improvement at this sensitive part of the transport network."
The council did not reveal what those options could be, but a spokesman said: "There are still ongoing discussions between stakeholders, including the Broads Authority, Norwich City Council and National Rail."
National Rail's involvement is because a new marina has been mooted as part of the East Norwich Masterplan, which is looking to regenerate the area around The Deal Ground, Utilities Site and the former Colman's site.
But access to that marina - which council bosses believe could be a solution to the issue of needing to provide tall vessels to the city - depends on the replacement of the Trowse Swing Bridge, which is currently single-track.
Dr John Packman, chief executive of the Broads Authority, previously said: "The fact that there have been a very limited number of times when the bridge has been lifted for boats in recent years does not reflect the demand for larger boats to access the port of Norwich."
A Broads Authority spokesman said the initial concerns the organisation had raised remained valid.
They said: "Section 61 of the Norwich Corporation Act 1920, which states that the bridge must be able to open to allow vessels to pass and access the port of Norwich, is still valid and would need to be repealed if the bridge were to be permanently welded shut.
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"Norfolk County Council are aware of the Broads Authority’s statutory duty to protect the navigation and the importance of these navigational rights.
"Any new or revised plans relating to a larger repair programme for Carrow Bridge would require multi-agency approval to mitigate any impacts, including navigation.
"It would also require a works license from the Broads Authority."
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