North Shields: Inquiry set to decide footbridge future

Campaigners say the Borough Road footbridge is well used

A public inquiry will decide the future of a bridge that has been a major part of the North Shields skyline for decades.

North Tyneside Council said the Borough Road footbridge was poorly used and costly to repair.

But campaigners said the 76-year-old steel structure was an important part of North Shields' history and a key route to avoid crossing a busy road.

A government planning inspector will hold an inquiry on 17 January.

The North Tyneside Public Transport Users Group (PTUG) said the bridge, which connects Waldo Street and Tennyson Terrace, was particularly useful for children, parents with prams and wheelchair users, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

£360,000 repair costs

The inquiry will determine whether to allow the council to abolish the public right of way on the bridge which would effectively decide its future.

The footbridge was built in 1936 as a replacement for a previous iron crossing dating back to the 1850s.

North Tyneside Council has previously estimated it would cost roughly £360,000 to restore it to a good condition, building a new one would cost about£1m, and demolition would cost £63,000.

A PTUG spokesman said: "What is being lost sight of is the beautiful views of the mouth of the Tyne as well as the healthy walking route the footbridge affords and encourages to all who use it."

John Sparkes, the council's director of regeneration and economic development, said the bridge was "approaching the end of its serviceable life" and had "fallen out of use with a very low number of pedestrians using it".

He said a new crossing would be installed on Borough Road.