Calls to save North Shields footbridge despite £360k repair bill

Campaigners argue the footbridge is part of the town's "cultural heritage"

Campaigners battling to save a landmark footbridge from being torn down have issued a final plea to preserve it.

North Tyneside Council has approved plans to demolish the Borough Road bridge in North Shields, which has stood for more than 80 years.

The government needs to agree to extinguish the public right of way across it before it can be broken up.

A survey in 2018 found 91 people used the bridge in a single day, compared to 1,163 at ground level.

The council estimates it would cost £360,000 to restore it and building a replacement would cost about £1m, while demolition would be just £63,000, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

'Declined use'

The steel footbridge was built in 1936 as a replacement for a previous crossing from the 1850s.

Local groups wanting to protect the bridge argue that it allows people to avoid the traffic below, including children, parents with prams and people with disabilities.

Vicki Gilbert, of the North Tyneside Public Transport Users' Group, said: "It is a part of the cultural heritage of this area, an area that has been hard done by over the years and is one of the most socially deprived in North Tyneside.

"It is a route that is used by people who don't want to go down to the lower level, it is a link between communities."

The council claims the bridge is in a poor state and nearing the end of its lifespan.

Mark Longstaff, North Tyneside Council's director of commissioning and asset management, said: "The number of people using the bridge has declined hugely over recent years and more people cross at ground level, which is why we installed a parallel crossing on Borough Road itself in 2019."

The Planning Inspectorate is set to decide its fate in the coming months.