Bridge on the River Wharfe struggle could be drawing to close

WALKERS have moved a step closer in their 17-year battle for a crossing over the River Wharfe linking North and West Yorkshire as they secured celebrity backing for the campaign to boost access for locals and tourists to the region’s stunning scenery.
Janet Street-PorterJanet Street-Porter
Janet Street-Porter

Burley-in-Wharfedale is the only settlement on the Wharfe without a safe crossing and the footbridge would take walkers from the Burley side of the river into the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Two planning applications have so far failed, but campaigners have had a third design drawn up which they are hoping to submit to both Bradford and Harrogate councils. Broadcaster and journalist Janet Street-Porter, who lives in Nidderdale, will be in Burley-in-Wharfedale on Saturday to walk with supporters of the proposed suspension footbridge.

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Ms Street-Porter, who recently appeared on Celebrity Masterchef, is a keen rambler and the president of the Burley Bridge Association (BBA), and is expected to call for messages of support across the river at Leather Bank to campaigners on the North Yorkshire side.

She said: “This is the closest we’ve been to getting this much-needed bridge built. Despite the obvious benefits to local people and to walkers from further afield, the campaign has had to overcome many obstacles.

“I know this bridge will be built, but let’s hope it’s going to be sooner rather than later now.”

The bridge is intended to provide year-round access between Burley and Askwith at a point where there are stepping stones and a weir. At present walkers have to use stepping stones – but the stones are nearly always 
submerged so effectively there is no route across for much of the year.

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The Ramblers’ Association has previously said it considers that a bridge over the River Wharfe is a matter of regional importance.

The latest designs are the third blueprints put forward by the BBA since its campaign started in 1996, following various attempts to solve the problem going back to the beginning of the 20th century.

In 1999, planning permission was secured for a bridge across the weir, but it did not go ahead because agreement could not be reached with landowners. In 2007, a proposed bridleway bridge was seen as too large.

The latest planned bridge at Burley, drawn up by engineering company Ramboll, is a suspension-style bridge, which will cost an estimated £300,000. Campaigners are £500 short of the £23,000 needed to meet the costs of putting in a planning application.

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The secretary of the BBA, Peter Young, said: “We’ve come such a long way, it is very exciting. We urge people to show their support by joining us on Saturday and to donate what they can so we reach this key target quickly.”

Campaigners hope to win financial support for the project from bodies such as the National Lottery.

Ms Street-Porter is to meet supporters at the Generous Pioneer pub, Ilkley Road in Burley-in-Wharfedale at 2.30pm. For more information or to make a donation, please visit burleybridge.com or e-mail membership secretary, Donald Hill, at [email protected]

If the bridge is built, it will mean walkers from Bradford and Leeds will be able to leave their cars at home and use rail or bus services to Burley-in-Wharfedale before using the crossing to access the countryside located north of the river.