CONTROVERSIAL plans by a school to build a footbridge over a public footpath are to go to appeal, after twice being turned down by City of York Council.

St Olave's School in Queen Anne's Road, Clifton, York, wants to create the bridge to link the school to St Peter's and stop pupils from both schools having to use a public right of way.

St Olave's, the junior school of St Peter's, argues a bridge would make it safer for children moving around the grounds.

But the scheme has been turned down twice by councillors on the council's planning committee.

The independent school has now appealed to the planning inspectorate in Bristol and a hearing date has been set for January 8 of next year, at the Friends Meeting House in the Friargate Centre, York, starting at 10am. The school has said the bridge would be constructed in a way that would minimise the noise generated by children walking over it to prevent a nuisance for nearby residents.

But Clifton councillor Ken King said the idea of having a footbridge over a public footpath was absurd.

He also said the bridge would not be accessible for the disabled, so that children in wheelchairs or with mobility problems would have to use the footpath anyway - exposing them to whatever risks the school believed the other children should be sheltered from.

Coun King said: "A footbridge going over a footpath is just not needed. Unless they can give me some further arguments, I think it is totally unnecessary.

"If any disabled children were at St Olave's, they would still have to use the footpath and if it's safe for the disabled children it must be safe for other pupils.

"It will be interesting to see what the inspector comes up with."

Footpaths have caused problems for schools in the area before. In November last year, The Press reported how St Peter's School had finally been given permission to close a public right of way which went through its land after a two- year battle with residents.

The path linked Westminster Road with North Parade. The school wanted it closed on safety grounds and said the path gave easy access to the school for criminals. Permission was finally granted for the school to close it following a public inquiry.