Samuel Smith's brewery has made an objection to the widening of Tadcaster Bridge.

A senior councillor has warned the brewery's intervention could derail the plans to make the historic bridge safer for pedestrians.

The bridge is currently under repair after it collapsed during the December floods, and county council bosses want to make it wider to better accommodate footpaths at the same time.

An objection, submitted by Stuart Vendy from Cunnane Town Planning on behalf of Samuel Smith Old Brewery, said the development was “contrary to a number of important planning policies and guidance within the development plan and Government policy”.

Mr Vendy said: “I also not that there appears to be a lack of sufficient information within the application package with which to formally determine the application.

“I believe that this conflict with policy has not been outweighed by material considerations and that planning permission should therefore be refused.”

In his report, Mr Vendy said he was “concerned that the proposal currently prepared and submitted by NYCC does not fully take into account the significance of the asset” [the bridge], and the Environment Agency’s assessment of the plans was “an inadequate basis upon which to consider the application”.

County cllr Chris Metcalf has explained that as the objection arrived after the planning decision was taken on Tuesday, but before a formal decision notice had been issued, legal teams at Selby District Council now have to assess whether the points raised are valid.

The could decide the points have been answered already and issue a formal decision notice letting the county council get on with their plans.

However, the brewery could still then decide to ask for a judicial review, and that could destroy any plans to widen the bridge and make it safer for pedestrians.

If the brewery decides to go for a Judicial Review of planning permission, which was granted for the bridge widening plan earlier this week, a decision over the court actions could take three months, Cllr Metcalf said.

As the county council has a duty to repair and reopen the bridge as soon as possibly, and has committed to reopening it by Christmas, engineers may have to abandon that part of the plan.

Cllr Metcalf added: "This delaying tactic will leave the county council with no option but to proceed with just the repair of the bridge as it is."

He said: "What is the most disappointing thing here is that the brewery's planning consultants always wait until the last minute to lodge a planning objection."