COUNCIL bosses broke planning rules when they applied for permission to widen Tadcaster bridge during its reconstruction, a former councillor has claimed.

Brian Percival said the plans showed that a stone parapet wall would need to be repositioned during work to repair and improve the bridge, which has been shut since it partially collapsed last December.

He said North Yorkshire County Council should have notified Tadcaster Town Council that the works would encroach on its land at the western end of the bridge, prior to Selby District Council considering the planning application.

Instead, it contacted the town council only after permission was granted, said Mr Percival, a chartered quantity surveyor, businessman and former senior Selby District Councillor.

He claimed that by failing to serve prior notice on the landowners, the application became invalid.

But a county council spokeswoman said that having successfully obtained planning permission for the bridge widening and strengthening scheme, the county was 'now in the process of completing all the necessary practical arrangements'.

She added the work remained on course for completion by the end of the year.

Tadcaster Mayor and Selby district councillor Don Mackay confirmed that the town council received retrospective notification that the changed bridge structure would overhang its land. He said it arrived late possibly through an oversight or a 'bit of incompetence' on the county council's part.

He said the matter had been considered at a town council meeting on Tuesday and members gave unanimous approval.

However, it was fortunate that the land had not been owned by any other organisation or individual which might have been less helpful in its response, he added.

York Press:

Meanwhile, details on how Tadcaster will deal with future flooding will be outlined at an event on Sunday.

North Yorkshire County Council, Yorkshire Water and the Environment Agency and the Tadcaster Emergency Action Group will meet the community at Riley Smith Hall from 11am to 3pm to discuss their aim to reduce the frequency and magnitude of surface water and sewage system flooding, particularly in Bridge Street.

Almost 80 properties, including homes and businesses, were flooded in Tadcaster in the Boxing Day floods, affected by surface water and the sewer system before the flood defences were overwhelmed.

Work already carried out by NYCC includes flood grant distribution, preparation of flood response plans with the emergency action group, and a formal investigation into the flooding, focusing on surface water.

With Yorkshire Water, the council has cleaned out local drainage systems, worked with local businesses to prevent blockages, and jointly funded the provision of a place from which pumps can safely and effectively be operated in an emergency.

Yorkshire Water has also started a two year study of Tadcaster’s sewage and drainage systems, to see what changes could be made in future, and NYCC is working with the Environment Agency to improve the main river flood defences.

County Councillor Chris Metcalfe, North Yorkshire’s member for Tadcaster, said: “We want people to know that we have carried out a lot of work this year to understand the way flooding works in Tadcaster and to improve the town’s resilience against flooding.

“We have carried out practical work with our partners to clear drainage systems and provide a place for flood pumps to operate, but we are also carrying out studies to bring about improvements in the longer term. This work will continue, even after the bridge is rebuilt, to make sure that Tadcaster is as prepared as it can be to deal with any future flooding events.”