A public inquiry will decide the future of a bridge that has been a key feature of the North Shields skyline for decades.
Council chiefs have been trying for years to tear down the Borough Road footbridge, claiming it is poorly used and too costly to repair. But campaigners bidding to save it are now hoping a government inspector will side with them.
The North Tyneside Public Transport Users Group (PTUG) has argued that the bridge, which connect Waldo Street and Tennyson Terrace, is both an important part of the town’s heritage and a key route for people who want to avoid the traffic on the busy bank below it – particularly children, parents with prams, and the disabled. A public inquiry has now been set for January 17 next year, where an inspector will decide whether to allow the council to abolish the Public Right of Way on the bridge – effectively determining its future.
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The PTUG, which will hold a demonstration on the bridge next Saturday morning, November 26, has accused the council of a “deliberate failure to maintain the footbridge” and said that replacing it with a new crossing on Borough Road itself was “not an alternative for people with disabilities and other mobility issues, as well as parents with small children, prams and heavy shopping”.
A spokesperson for the group added: “We have discovered that this decision to demolish was taken behind closed doors and will be to a detrimental effect on both the people who reside in those communities as well as elsewhere in North Tyneside. What is being lost sight of is the beautiful ‘bank top’ views of the Mouth of the Tyne as well as the healthy walking route the footbridge affords and encourages to all who use it.”
The steel footbridge was built in 1936 as a replacement for a previous iron crossing dating back to the 1850s. North Tyneside Council has previously estimated that it would cost roughly £360,000 to restore it to a good condition, building a new one would cost around £1m, and the demolition just £63,000.
John Sparkes, the council’s director of regeneration and economic development, said: “Unfortunately, Borough Road Bridge is approaching the end of its serviceable life and has fallen out of use with a very low number of pedestrians using it. We explored all options, but in order to save the bridge repairs would be very expensive.
“Removal of the bridge has been deemed the best way forward in terms of responsible use of public money. The demolition proposal was subject to a comprehensive public consultation exercise, with very few objections received.
“A new alternative safe crossing point has already been installed on Borough Road and is well used. The money saved from not having to refurbish the bridge will be reinvested in the further regeneration of North Shields and Fish Quay area.”
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