River Wharfe footbridge could back-up stepping stones route

Plans have been submitted to build a new footbridge over the River Wharfe to connect West and North Yorkshire.

Walkers currently cross the river between Burley-in-Wharfedale and Askwith using stepping stones.

But volunteers who have submitted the plans for a new bridge alongside the stones say the crossing can become impassable when river levels rise.

A new footbridge would mean a new walking trail could also become a "reliable" year-round route.

The Burley Bridge Association, the volunteers behind the plans, said £400,000 for the bridge could be paid for with donations and from voluntary bodies.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said calls had been made for a footbridge at the location since 1896 when people voted "overwhelmingly" at a public meeting for a bridge near Burley Weir to celebrate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.

Many people use the stepping stones - which is on a public right of way connecting the two banks of the river - while walking and running, and visitors to the Yorkshire Dales National Park and Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) would benefit from the crossing, the volunteers said.

Last year the Yorkshire Heritage Way walking trail was launched as a 42-mile route linking Bradford with Ripon, and passing through the Unesco World Heritage sites of Saltaire and Fountains Abbey, crossing the river at the stepping stones.

A new footbridge would mean the route had "a reliable, safe, and weather-proof crossing", the group said.

The plans will be considered by North Yorkshire Council and Bradford Metropolitan Council at a later date.

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