Plans to widen Summerseat's flood damaged bridge approved

A council's plans to rebuild a bridge that was damaged during floods in December 2015 have been passed.

Bury Council's planners approved the authority's own application to widen Summerseat's Kay Street Bridge to allow cars to use it again.

The council received 20 objections to the plans, which claimed allowing cars to return would see it used "like a race track".

The single-lane bridge reopened to pedestrians in March 2016.

Bury's head of engineering David Giblin told the planning committee that reopening the bridge would "return traffic in the village to the status prior to 2015".

The committee also heard that widening the bridge to separate pedestrian and vehicle traffic was necessary to improve safety.

The bridge, which was also the site of the now-demolished Waterside pub, was partially washed away when the River Irwell flooded on 26 December 2015.

The council said work on the bridge was now due to start in early 2019.