Years of neglect and now Neilson’s Field bridge is to be demolished

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, according to the old saying.
The pedestrian footbridge leading from Green Lane into Neilson’s Field has been taped off after an engineer's inspection concluded that it was unsafe.
Reporting his findings to Elmbridge Council, the engineer noted severe corrosion of the steel underside and main support beam of the bridge. The protective paint had mostly peeled away and brick pillars were cracked and loose.
As a result of the “extensive” decay this once-attractive 1930s bridge has been deemed beyond “effective economical repair”.
The Molesey Conservative Residents consider that an option for refurbishment should be looked at rather than the bureaucratic knee-jerk tendency, all too prevalent in government these days, of complete demolition of infrastructure and rebuilding, with the result being the loss of more of Molesey’s historic architecture (and the cost to the tax payer of a new bridge).
Residents may wonder why the Nielson’s Field Bridge has been allowed to get into this badly run down state on the Molesey Residents Association’s watch? It has been obvious for years that it needed maintenance, yet it has been neglected to the point that it has had to be closed.
Routine works and applying a coat of weatherproofing paint every few years might have stopped the corrosion.
Why has the MRA, which has been the town’s sole political representation for years, and its 11 councillors, not taken up this issue years ago before it reached such a wasteful pass?