LONG awaited plans to widen the footpaths on Tadcaster Bridge are to go ahead, according to the county council.

North Yorkshire bosses confirmed this week that they will go ahead with a scheme to strengthen the bridge and to double the width of the footpaths, making it much safer for pedestrians.

The bridge is currently being repaired after its collapse in the December floods, and a £1.4 million grant from the York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) means it can be improved at the same time.

County Cllr Don Mackenzie said: “It has always been our ambition to improve Tadcaster Bridge as we rebuild it.

“This funding will support the strengthening of the bridge to offer greater protection from future flooding, as well as widening the bridge to provide the better pedestrian access that people have asked for.

“The bridge is essential to the prosperity of the town and this project, with the grant support from the LEP, will be a major benefit.”

The project is still subject to planning permission, but a county council spokesman said they are working with closely with Historic England to make sure the right permissions granted for alterations on the 18th century Grade II listed structure.

The work will see the footpaths widened from under one metre in places to two metres, and increase the number of street lights from one to six. It will also strengthen the bridge so it can cope with higher river levels.

Tadcaster County Cllr Chris Metcalfe, added: “It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to widen the bridge and provide wider footpaths that will allow people to cross safely and it will deliver the aspiration people in Tadcaster have had for decades.

“It will also give the town a great base from which it can grow.”

At the same time, Tadcaster’s district councillors are already starting to think about how the town should celebrate the bridge’s reopening, currently scheduled for December.

The town’s Community Engagement Forum (CEF) met this week to talk about the possibilities, and Cllr Don Mackay said proposals ranged from fireworks displays to street parties.

The CEF will be talking to people in the community about what they want for a celebration, and is looking for local businesses to back the event financially, he added.

Talks have only just started, he said, but they hope to make a decision and start planning in earnest in September.

The bridge reopening in December will be the first time Tadcaster’s east and west sides have been linked by a road bridge since the heavy rain over Christmas led to flooding, which caused the bridge to partially collapse into the River Wharfe.

Cllr Mackay said: “It’s the sooner the better really, as businesses have been affected with people having to go further round to get from one side of town to the other.”

A Government grant of £3 million is funding the repairs on the bridge, but the LEP’s additional funding means the extra work can be carried out at the same time.